M30Y5COUTS 


^   IN  THE 


T/3 


BLUE  RIDGE 


HERBERT  CARTER 


THE  LIBRARY  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 


THE  COLLECTION  OF 
NORTH  CAROLINLANA 

ENDOWED  BY 
JOHN  SPRUNT  HILL 

CLASS  OF  1889 


G813 
C323b 


This  book  must  not 
be  taken  from  the 
Library  building. 


Form  No.  471 


"Good  shot,  Bob!"  cried  Thad.     ''Get  another  stone,  quick, 
for  he's  coming  after  you.     Page  146. 

'^  — The  Boy  Scouts  In  the  Blue  Ridge. 


r 


The   Boy   Scouts 
In  the  Blue  Ridge 


OR 


Marooned  Among  the  Moonshiners 


By   HERBERT    CARTER 

Author  of  "The    Boy  Scouts    First    Camp    Fire,"    "The    Boy 
Scouts  On  the  Trail,"    "The  Boy  Scouts  In  the  Maine 
Woods,"    "  The  Boy  Scouts  Through   the 
Big  Timber,"    "  The  Boy  Scouts 
In  the  Rockies  * 


Copyright,    1913 
By  A.  L.  Burt    Company 

THE    BOY    SCOUTS    IN   THE   BLUE    RIDGE. 


THE  BOY  SCOUTS 
IN   THE   BLUE   RIDGE 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  HIKE  THROUGH  THE  SMOKY  RANGE. 


<( 


Dn)    anybody    happen    to    see    my    knapsack 
around?  " 

"  Why,  you  had  it  just  a  few  minutes  ago,  Step 
Hen!" 

"  I  know  that,  Bumpus ;  and  I'd  take  my  affidavy 
I  laid  it  down  on  this  rock." 

"  Well,  don't  whine  so  about  a  little  thing  like 

that,  Step  Hen ;  it  ain't  there  now,  and  that's  a  fact.'* 

"  Somebody's  gone  and  sneaked  it  on  me,  that's 

what.    I'm  the  unluckiest  feller  in  the  whole  bunch, 

for  havin'  queer  things  happen  to  him.     Just  can't 

lay  a  single  thing  I've  got  down  anywhere,  but  what 

it  disappears  in  the  most  remarkable  way  you  ever 

'  .,    heard  of,  and  bobs  up  somewhere  else!    I  must  be 

"v;;,    haunted,  I'm  beginnin'  to  believe.     Do  you  know 

^  anything  about  my  knapsack,  Giraffe?  " 

^        "  Never  touched  your  old  grub  sack,  Step  Hen; 


-6±ee^s 


H:  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

so  don't  you  dare  accuse  me  of  playing  a  trick  on 
you.  Sure  you  didn't  hang  it  up  somewhere;  I've 
known  you  to  do  some  funny  stunts  that  way;  "  and 
the  tall  boy  called  "  Giraffe  "  by  his  mates,  stretched 
his  long  neck  in  a  most  ridiculous  manner,  as  he 
looked  all  around. 

Eight  boys  were  on  a  hike  through  the  mountains 
of  North  Carolina.  From  the  fact  that  they  were 
all  dressed  in  neat  khaki  uniforms  it  was  evident 
that  they  must  belong  to  some  Boy  Scout  troop ;  and 
were  off  on  a  little  excursion.  This  was  exactly  the 
truth;  and  they  had  come  a  long  distance  by  rail 
before  striking  their  present  wild  surroundings. 

Their  home  town  of  Granford  was  located  in  a 
big  Northern  State,  and  all  the  members  of  the 
Silver  Fox  Patrol  lived  there;  though  several  of 
them  had  come  to  that  busy  little  town  from  other 
sections  of  the  country. 

Besides  two  of  those  whose  conversation  has  been 
noted  at  the  beginning  of  this  chapter  there  was, 
first  of  all,  Thad  Brewster,  the  leader  of  the  patrol, 
and  when  at  home  acting  as  scoutmaster  in  the  ab- 
sence of  the  young  man  who  occupied  that  position, 
in  order  to  carry  out  the  rules  and  principles  of  the 
organization.  Thad  was  a  bright  lad,  and  having 
belonged  to  another  troop  before  coming  to  Cran- 
ford,  knew  considerably  more  than  most  of  his  fel* 
lows  in  the  patrol. 

Next  to  him,  as  second  in  command,  was  Allen 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  5 

Hollister,  a  boy  who  had  been  raised  to  get  the 
bumps  of  experience.  He  had  lived  for  a  time  up  in 
the  Adirondacks,  and  also  in  Maine.  When  it  came 
down  to  showing  how  things  ought  to  be  done  ac- 
cording to  the  ways  of  woodsmen,  and  not  by  the 
book,  the  boys  always  looked  to  Allen  for  informa- 
tion. 

Then  there  was  a  slender,  rather  effeminate,  boy, 
who  seemed  very  particular  about  his  looks,  as 
though  he  feared  lest  his  uniform  become  soiled,  or 
the  shine  on  his  shoes  suffer  from  the  dust  of  the 
mountain  road.  This  was  "  Smithy."  Of  course 
he  had  another  name  when  at  home  or  in  school — 
Edmund  Maurice  Travers  Smith;  but  no  ordinary 
boy  could  bother  with  such  a  high-flown  appellation 
as  this ;  and  so  "  Smithy  "  it  became  as  soon  as  he 
began  to  circulate  among  the  lads  of  Cranford. 

Next  to  him  was  a  dumpy,  rollicking  sort  of  a 
boy,  who  seemed  so  clumsy  in  his  actions  that  he  was 
forever  stumbling.  He  had  once  answered  to  the 
name  of  Cornelius  Jasper  Hawtree;  but  if  anybody 
called  out  "  Bumpus  "  he  would  smile,  and  answer 
to  it.  Bumpus  he  must  be  then  to  the  end  of  the 
story.  And  as  he  was  musically  inclined,  possessing 
a  fine  tenor  voice,  and  being  able  to  play  on  "  any 
old  instrument,"  as  he  claimed  it  was  only  right  that 
he  assume  the  duties  of  bugler  to  the  Cranford 
Troop.  Bumpns  carried  the  shining  bugle  at  his 
side,  held  by  a  thick  crimson  cord ;  and  when  he  tried 


6  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

he  could  certainly  draw  the  sweetest  kind  of  notes 
from  its  brass  throat. 

Then  there  was  Davy  Jones,  a  fellow  who  had  a 
sinuous  body,  and  seemed  to  be  a  bom  athlete. 
Davy  could  do  all  sorts  of  "  stunts,"  and  was  never 
so  happy  as  hanging  by  his  toes  from  the  high 
branch  of  some  tree;  or  turning  a  double  somer- 
sault in  the  air,  always  landing  on  his  nimble  feet, 
like  a  cat.  Davy  had  one  affliction,  which  often 
gave  him  more  or  less  trouble.  He  was  liable  to  be 
seized  with  cramps  at  any  time;  and  these  doubled 
him  up  in  a  knot.  He  carried  some  pills  given  to 
him  by  the  family  doctor  at  home,  and  at  such  times 
one  of  the  other  boys  usually  forced  a  couple  be- 
tween his  blue  lips.  But  some  of  the  fellows  were 
beginning  to  have  faint  suspicions  concerning  these 
"  cramps ;  "  and  that  the  artful  Davy  always  seemed 
to  be  gripped  nowadays  when  there  was  a  prospect 
of  some  extra  heavy  work  at  hand. 

The  last  of  the  eight  boys  was  a  dark-haired  lad, 
with  a  face  that,  while  handsome,  was  a  little  in- 
clined to  be  along  the  order  of  the  proud.  Robert 
White  Quail  was  a  Southern-born  boy.  He  came 
from  Alabama,  but  had  lived  many  years  in  this  very 
region  through  which  the  Silver  Fox  Patrol  was 
now  hiking.  Indeed,  it  had  been  at  his  personal  so- 
licitation that  they  had  finally  agreed  to  take  their 
outing  in  climbing  the  famous  Blue  Ridge  Moun- 
tains, and  tasting  some  of  the  delights  of  a  genuine 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  7 

experience  in  the  wilderness.  Among  his  compan- 
ions the  Southern  lad  went  by  the  name  of  "  Bob 
White ;  '*  and  considering  what  his  last  name  hap- 
pened to  be,  it  can  be  easily  understood  that  nothing 
else  in  the  wide  world  would  have  answered. 

Of  course  Step  Hen  had  another  name,  which  was 
plainly  Stephen  Bingham.  When  a  mite,  going  to 
school  for  the  first  time,  on  being  asked  his  name  by 
the  teacher,  he  had  spelled  it  as  made  up  of  two  dis- 
tinct words;  and  so  Step  Hen  he  was  bound  to  be 
called  by  his  comrades. 

Giraffe  also  was  known  in  family  circles  as  Con- 
rad Stedman;  but  if  any  boy  in  Cranford  was  asked 
about  such  a  fellow,  the  chances  were  he  would 
shake  his  head,  and  declare  that  the  only  one  he 
knew  by  the  name  of  Stedman  was  "  Giraffe."  For 
some  time  he  had  gone  as  "  Rubberneck,"  but  this 
became  so  common  that  the  other  stuck  to  him.  Gi- 
raffe loved  eating.  He  was  also  passionately  fond 
of  making  fires,  so  that  the  others  called  him  the 
fire  fiend.  When  Giraffe  was  around  no  one  else 
had  the  nerve  to  even  think  of  starting  the  camp- 
fire  ;  though  after  that  had  been  done,  he  was  willing 
they  should  **  tote  "  the  wood  to  keep  it  running. 

The  day  was  rather  warm,  even  for  up  in  the 
mountains,  and  if  the  signs  told  the  truth  they  might 
look  for  a  thunder  storm  before  a  great  while. 

As  the  scouts  had  no  tents  along,  and  were  march- 
ing in  very  light  order,  they  would  have  to  depen<?. 


8  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

upon  their  natural  sagacity  to  carry  them  through 
any  emergencies  that  might  arise,  either  in  connec- 
tion with  the  weather,  or  the  food  line.  But  they 
knew  they  could  place  unlimited  dependence  on 
their  leaders;  and  besides,  as  Bob  White  had  spent 
many  years  of  his  young  life  in  this  region,  he  must 
know  considerable  about  its  resources. 

They  were  now  in  what  is  known  as  the  Smoky 
Range,  a  spur  of  the  Blue  Ridge  Mountains,  which 
borders  on  Tennessee.  Not  a  great  many  miles 
away  was  Asheville,  a  well-known  resort ;  but  few  of 
the  society  people  frequenting  that  place  had  ever 
ventured  up  in  these  lonely  localities;  for  they  did 
not  have  the  best  reputation  possible. 

Among  these  wild  peaks  dwelt  men  who,  in  spite 
of  the  efforts  of  revenue  officers,  persisted  in  defy- 
ing the  law  that  put  a  ban  on  the  making  of  what  has 
always  been  known  as  "  moonshine  ''  whiskey.  Oc- 
casionally an  arrest  might  be  made;  but  there  was 
much  danger  attached  to  this  thing;  and  the  coun- 
try was  so  rugged,  that  it  would  take  an  army  of 
United  States  regulars  to  clean  out  the  nests  of 
moonshiners  holding  forth  there. 

It  would  seem  as  though  this  might  be  a  rather 
strange  region  for  the  hike  of  a  Boy  Scout  patrol; 
and  had  the  parents  or  guardians  of  the  boys  known 
as  much  about  it  as  those  living  in  Asheville,  they 
might  have  thought  twice  before  granting  the  lads 
permission  to  come  here. 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  9 

But  it  had  been  partly  on  the  invitation  of  Bob 
White  that  the  expedition  had  been  planned  and 
mapped  out.  He  seemed  to  have  a  strange  yearning 
to  revisit  the  region  that  had  been  his  former  home ; 
and  when  some  one  proposed  that  they  explore  some 
of  the  mysteries  of  the  famous  Blue  Ridge,  Bob 
eagerly  seconded  the  motion,  in  his  warm  Southern 
way.  And  that  was  how  it  started.  Once  boys  get 
an  idea  in  their  heads,  it  soon  gains  weight,  just  like 
a  rolling  snowball. 

And  now  they  were  here,  with  the  grim  moun- 
tains all  around  them,  silence  wrapping  them  about, 
and  mystery  seeming  to  fill  the  very  air.  But 
healthy  boys  are  not  easily  impressed  or  daunted  by 
such  things;  and  they  cracked  jokes  and  carried  on 
as  boys  will  do  with  the  utmost  freedom. 

The  conversation  between  Step  Hen,  Bumpus  and 
Giraffe  having  attracted  the  attention  of  the  scout- 
master, he  called  out  at  this  juncture : 

"  Whose  knapsack  is  that  you've  got  strapped  on 
your  back  right  now.  Number  Eight  ?  " 

A  shout  went  up  as  Step  Hen,  quickly  turning  the 
article  in  question  around  surveyed  it  blankly;  but 
apparently  both  Bumpus  and  Giraffe  had  known  of 
its  presence  all  the  while,  though  pretending  igno- 
rance. 

"  Who  strapped  that  to  my  back  ?  "  demanded  the 
owner.  "  I  don't  remember  doing  it,  give  you  my 
word  for  it,  fellers.     Mighty  queer  how  things  al- 


10  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

ways  happen  to  me,  and  nobody  else.  But  anyhow, 
I'm  ready  to  continue  the  march,  if  the  rest  of  you 
are." 

Five  minutes  later,  and  the  boys  were  straggling 
along  the  rough  road  that  wound  in  and  out,  as  it 
pierced  the  valleys  between  the  peaks  looming  up 
on  either  side.  There  was  no  attempt  at  keeping 
order  on  the  march,  and  the  boys,  while  trying  to 
remain  within  sight  of  each  other,  walked  along  in 
groups  or  couples. 

Giraffe  and  Bumpus,  a  strange  combination  al- 
ways, yet  very  good  chums,  were  at  some  distance  in 
the  lead.  Bringing  up  the  rear  were  Thad  and 
Allan,  examining  some  chart  of  the  region,  which 
Bob  White  had  drawn  for  them,  and  talking  over 
what  the  plan  of  campaign  should  be. 

In  the  midst  of  this  pleasant  afternoon  quiet  there 
suddenly  arose  the  piercing  notes  of  the  bugle,  fol- 
lowed by  a  loud  and  hoarse  shout;  and  looking  up 
hastily,  Thad  Brewster  was  surprised  to  see  Bumpus 
wildly  waving  both  his  arms.  Although  he  was  at 
some  little  distance  away,  and  at  the  bottom  of  the 
decline,  what  he  shouted  came  plainly  to  the  ears  of 
the  young  scoutmaster,  giving  him  something  of  a 
thrill : 

"  Hey !  come  along  here,  you  fellers ;  Giraffe,  he's 
got  stuck  in  the  crick,  up  to  his  knees,  and  he  says 
it's  quicksand ! " 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  11 


CHAPTER  II. 

SEEING  GIRAFFE  THROUGH. 

"  Quicksand  ! "  shrieked  Step  Hen,  who  hap- 
pened to  be  keeping  company  with  Davy  Jones  just 
ahead  of  the  two  leaders  of  the  patrol.  "Hey! 
hurry  your  stumps,  fellers,  and  get  there  before  poor 
Giraffe  is  pulled  under.  Ain't  it  lucky  he  c'n  stretch 
his  neck  so  far  ?  Anyhow  he  ought  to  keep  his  head 
above  water." 

Everybody  was  on  the  run  by  now,  and  as  Bum- 
pus  kept  sounding  the  assembly  on  his  silver-plated 
bugle,  what  with  the  shouts  of  the  advancing  khaki- 
clad  boys,  the  picture  was  an  inspiring  one. 

When  they  reached  the  border  of  the  little  stream 
that  crossed  the  mountain  road,  sure  enough,  there 
was  the  tall  scout  up  above  his  knees  in  the  water, 
and  looking  rather  forlorn. 

"  What  had  I  ought  to  do,  Allan?  "  he  bawled  out, 
naturally  appealing  to  the  one  whose  practical  ex- 
perience was  apt  to  be  of  more  benefit  to  him  at  such 
a  time  than  all  the  theories  ever  advanced.  "  You 
see,  I  was  crossing  here,  and  stopped  right  in  the 


12  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

middle  to  turn  around  and  say  somethin'  to  Bumpus. 
Then  I  found  that  both  my  feet  seemed  like  they 
was  glued  down.  When  I  tried  to  lift  one,  the  other 
only  sank  down  deeper.  And  it  came  to  me  like  a 
flash  that  I  was  gripped  in  quicksand.  When  I  told 
Bumpus  here  he  squawked,  and  blew  his  horn  to 
beat  the  band." 

"Horn!"  echoed  Bumpus,  indignantly;  "why 
can't  you  ever  learn  to  say  bugle.  You're  the  only 
one  I  know  of  that  owns  to  a  horn;  and  you  blow 
that  often  enough,  I'll  be  bound." 

"  Ain't  you  goin'  to  get  me  out  ?  "  demanded  the 
now  alarmed  Giraffe,  as  he  felt  himself  slowly  but 
surely  sinking  deeper.  "  Say,  is  that  the  way  to 
treat  a  fellow  you  all  have  known  so  long?  I  ain't 
foolin',  let  me  tell  you.  And  if  you  stand  there 
much  longer,  grinnin'  at  me,  it'll  be  too  late !  You'll 
feel  sorry  when  you  only  see  the  top  of  my  head 
above  water.  I  tell  you  there  ain't  no  bottom  to  this 
crick.  It  goes  clean  through  to  China,  it  does,  now. 
Give  us  a  hand,  Allan,  Thad.  One  scout  ought  to 
help  another,  you  know;  and  I  bet  some  of  you 
haven't  done  a  single  good  deed  to-day,  to  let  you 
turn  your  badge  right-side  up." 

Among  Boy  Scouts  it  is  considered  the  proper 
thing  to  invert  the  badge  every  morning,  and  not 
change  its  position  until  the  owner  has  something 
worth  while  to  his  credit,  even  though  it  may  only  be 
the  helping  of  an  old  man  across  the  busy  street;  or 


IN  THE  BLUE  EIDGE  13 

the  carrying  of  a  basket  for  a  lame  woman  coming 
from  market.  This  was  what  Giraffe  evidently  had 
in  mind,  when  trying  to  spur  his  comrades  on  to 
helping  him  out  of  the  mire  into  which  he  had  fallen. 

"  What  can  be  done  for  him,  Allan  ?  "  asked  the 
scoutmaster,  turning  to  the  other. 

"  Yes,  think  up  something,  Allan ;  and  for  good- 
ness sake  be  quick  about  it,^*  called  the  one  in  the 
water.  "  Just  hear  how  that  sucks,  will  you,  when 
I  work  my  foot  up  and  down  ?  And  now,  there,  the 
other  leg's  deeper  by  two  inches  than  it  was.  Be 
quick  about  it,  or  you'll  be  sorry." 

"If  there  was  a  tree  above  his  head  I'd  say  get  a 
rope  over  a  limb,  make  a  loop  at  the  end,  and  drag 
him  out  that  way,"  remarked  Allan. 

"  And  pull  my  neck  longer  than  it  is ;  I'm  glad 
then  there  ain't  no  tree ! "  snapped  the  alarmed 
Giraffe. 

"  Oh !  rats,  he  meant  we'd  put  the  loop  under  your 
arms,  silly !  "  called  out  Davy. 

"  Some  of  you  get  hold  of  those  old  fence  rails 
over  there,"  Allan  went  on.  "  We  can  make  a  mat- 
tress of  them,  and  get  over  to  Giraffe  in  that  way. 
Jump,  now,  boys,  for  he  is  really  and  truly  in  a  bad 
fix ;  and  if  left  alone  would  sure  go  under." 

"Hurry!  hurry!"  shouted  Giraffe,  waving  his 
long  arms ;  "  don't  you  hear  what  Allan  says  ?  It's 
sucking  like  anything.  P'raps  it'll  open  up,  and  pull 
me  under  before  you  can  get  started.    Quick,  boys! 


14  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

For  the  love  of  misery  stir  your  stumps  like  true 
scouts ! " 

They  came  rumiing  up,  each  bearing  one  of  the 
old  fence  rails  that  had  been  at  some  time  washed 
down  the  stream  during  a  freshet.  Allan  took  these 
as  they  arrived,  and  began  to  make  a  species  of 
corduroy  road  out  to  the  boy  who  was  caught  fast 
in  the  grip  of  the  quicksand. 

"  Throw  yourself  forward  as  much  as  you  can, 
Giraffe,"  he  said.  "  Never  mind  about  whether  you 
soil  your  uniform  or  not.  You  can  get  a  new  one; 
but  you  never  will  have  another  life  you  know. 
There,  rest  your  weight  on  that  rail,  and  begin  to 
work  both  feet  free.  When  you  get  to  lift  them  up, 
we'll  lend  a  hand,  and  yank  you  out  in  a  jiffy.  Get 
busy  now,  Giraffe !  " 

And  the  one  addressed  certainly  needed  no  second 
urging.  He  worked  with  a  vim,  and  presently  called 
out  exultantly : 

"  She's  coming  now,  boys ;  I  felt  both  feet  give 
that  time.  Oh!  it's  going  to  be  all  right,  after  all. 
Bumpus,  I  promised  you  my  stamp  book;  but  I 
reckon  I'll  need  it  a  while  longer  myself,  so  consider 
the  thing  off.  Please  come  out,  and  give  me  that  lift 
now,  Allan.    Two  of  you  can  do  it  easy  enough." 

Bob  White,  with  his  usual  promptness,  when  any 
one  was  in  need  of  help,  volunteered  to  assist  Allan. 
Between  them  they  succeeded  in  dragging  the  scout 
who  was  trapped  in  the  quicksand,  out  of  his  un- 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  15 

pleasant  predicament ;  and  while  about  it  all  of  them 
crossed  to  the  other  side  of  the  creek,  where  they 
were  speedily  joined  by  the  balance  of  the  patrol; 
though  every  boy  took  advantage  of  the  fence  rails 
that  lay  scattered  through  the  shallow  water,  in 
order  to  prevent  any  possibility  of  a  repetition  of 
the  disaster  that  had  overtaken  their  comrade. 

A  halt  was  called,  to  enable  Giraffe  to  wipe  some 
of  the  mud  from  the  lower  portions  of  his  uniform. 
And  of  course  all  sorts  of  talk  passed  back  and 
forth,  as  might  be  expected  among  a  parcel  of  lively 
boys  out  for  a  good  time.  Even  the  one  so  lately 
in  dire  danger  had  apparently  gotten  well  over  his 
nervous  shock,  for  he  laughed  with  the  rest  at  the 
ludicrous  nature  of  the  event. 

"  Say,  what  kind  of  natives  do  you  have  down 
here,  Bob  White?"  asked  Bumpus. 

"  The  same  kind,  I  reckon,  suh,  that  they  raise  in 
all  mountain  regions,"  came  the  ready  reply  of  the 
sensitive  Southern  boy.  "  Some  are  pretty  tough ; 
but  then  again,  I  give  you  my  word,  suh,  that  th'ere 
are  others  you  can't  beat  for  being  the  clear  quill. 
But  may  I  ask  why  you  put  that  question  to  me, 
Bumpus  ?  " 

"  Sure.  There  was  a  feller  perched  up  on  that 
rock  stickin'  out  above  us,"  declared  the  fat  boy, 
pointing  his  finger  upward  along  the  rugged  and 
rocky  face  of  the  mountain  side ;  "  I  called  to  him  to 
come  and  help  get  poor  old  Giraffe  out;  but  he 


16  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

never  made  a  move;  just  sat  there,  and  grinned. 
He  had  a  gun  along  with  him,  and  I  s'pose  he  was 
a  specimen  of  the  Blue  Ridge  mountaineer.  Gee! 
you  ought  to  a  seen  the  long  white  beard  the  old 
feller  sported ! " 

"  Oh !  "  exclaimed  Bob  White,  looking  excited, 
a  fact  that  aroused  the  keen  interest  of  all  his  com- 
rades at  once. 

"  Do  you  know  who  he  was  ?  "  demanded  the  in- 
dignant Bumpus. 

"  I'm  sorry  to  say,  suh,  that  I  think  I  do,"  replied 
the  Southern  boy,  slowly.  "If  your  description  is 
correct,  and  believe  me,  I  have  no  reason  to  doubt 
it,  that  man  you  saw  must  have  been  no  other  than 
Phin  Dady ! " 

"  Phew !  ain't  that  the  moonshiner  we  heard  so 
much  about  over  in  Asheville  ?  "  asked  Step  Hen. 

"  The  same  man,"  answered  Bob  White,  glancing 
a  little  nervously  up  toward  the  rock  indicated  by 
his  comrade,  and  which,  jutting  out  from  the  steep 
face  of  the  mountain;  offered  a  splendid  outlook  for 
any  one  who  wished  to  see  who  might  be  coming 
along  the  winding  road. 

"  Well,  I  don't  like  his  ways,  that's  all,"  muttered 
Giraffe,  who  was  still  trying  to  make  his  uniform 
look  half-way  decent  after  its  recent  rough  usage. 
"  Anybody  with  one  eye  could  see  that  I  was  bein' 
sucked  down  like  fun;  and  for  him  to  just  watch 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  IT 

Bumpus  here,  blowin'  his  bugle,  and  shoutin'  for 
help,  without  offerin'  to  lend  a  hand,  wasn't — well, 
decent,  that's  what.  P'raps  some  day  it'll  be  my 
turn  to  grin  at  him  when  he's  in  trouble." 

"  But  you  wouldn't  do  it,  you  know  that,  Giraffe/* 
said  Thad,  smiling.  "  You  don't  forget  that  a  true 
scout  must  return  good  for  evil.  And  if  the  time 
ever  comes  when  old  Phin  Dady  needs  help  that  you 
can  give,  I'm  dead  sure  you  wouldn't  hold  back." 

Giraffe  grumbled  some  more,  but  the  scoutmaster 
knew  that  at  heart  he  was  not  an  ungenerous  boy^ 
though  a  little  inclined  to  hold  a  grudge. 

"  What  are  you  thinking  about,  Bob  White ;  you 
look  as  sober  as  though  you  didn't  just  like  the 
looks  of  things  any  too  much?  "  asked  Allan,  turn- 
ing upon  the  other. 

"  That's  just  right,  suh,  I  can't  say  that  I  do,"  re- 
plied the  Southern  lad.  "  You  see,  I  was  wonder- 
ing what  old  Phin  would  think  about  us.  He's  the 
most  suspicious  man  in  the  mountains,  and  with 
reason,  suh.  Foh  years,  now,  he's  been  hunted  high 
and  low  by  the  revenue  agents.  They've  done  all 
sorts  of  things  trying  to  capture  old  Phin,  and  raid 
his  secret  still;  but  up  to  now  it's  never  been  done. 
He  likes  a  revenue  man  like  he  does  a  rattlesnake; 
and  I  give  you  my  word  for  it,  suh,  the  next  thing 
on  his  list  of  hates  is  the  uniform  of  a  soldier!  " 

Thad  uplifted  his  eyebrows  to  indicate  his  sur- 
prise. 


18  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

"  I  think  I  get  your  meaning,  Bob  White,"  he  re- 
marked, slowly  and  seriously.  "  Our  uniforms 
might  give  this  old  moonshiner  the  idea  that  in 
some  way  we  must  be  connected  with  the  army; 
perhaps  a  detachment  of  scouts  sent  in  here  to  get 
him  in  a  corner,  and  knock  his  old  moonshine  Still, 
to  flinders.     Is  that  it,  Bob  ?  " 

"  You  hit  the  nail  on  the  head  when  you  say  that, 
suh,"  replied  the  other.  "  When  I  lived  down  this 
way,  I  used  to  hear  a  heap  about  Old  Phin;  and  I 
reckon  he'd  know  who  I  was  if  you  mentioned  my 
name  to  him.  That's  the  main  reason  why  he  just 
sat  and  laughed  to  see  the  wearer  of  the  hated  uni- 
form now  used  by  the  United  States  army  stuck  in 
the  quicksand.  I  reckon  he  only  thought  that  it 
would  mean  one  the  less  enemy  for  the  Blue  Ridge 
moonshiners  to  go  up  against." 

"  It  seems  to  me,"  spoke  up  Smithy  at  this  junc- 
ture, "  that  in  justice  to  ourselves  we  ought  to  seek 
an  early  opportunity  to  secure  an  interview  with 
this  gentleman,  and  explain  our  position.  He  should 
know  that  we  have  no  relation  with  the  army,  and 
that  in  fact  the  mission  of  a  Boy  Scout  is  peace,  not 


war." 


"  Second  the  motion,  boys !  "  exclaimed  Bumpus ; 
"  and  I  hope  our  scoutmaster  will  appoint  a  com- 
mittee of  three,  Bob  White,  Allan,  and,  well.  Smithy 
here,  to  hunt  up  the  said  gent,  and  show  him — ^hey, 
jump  out  of  the  way  there,  Step  Hen;  the  whole 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  19 

side  of  the  mountain's  coming  down  on  top  of  you! 
Hurry !  hurry !  " 

But  as  the  startled  Step  Hen  hastened  to  obey, 
with  considerable  alacrity,  Thad  Brewster,  looking 
up,  saw  a  head  withdrawn  from  the  point  whence 
the  round  stone  that  was  rolling  down  the  side  of 
the  steep  incline  must  have  had  its  start. 

Jumping  in  zigzag  curves  from  one  side  to  an- 
other, the  rock  finally  landed  with  a  great  crash  in 
the  mountain  road  not  ten  feet  from  where  the 
scouts  were  huddled  in  a  group,  watching  its  com- 
ing with  staring  eyes. 


>30  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 


CHAPTER  HI. 

IN  THE  DESERTED  LOG  CABIN. 


tt 


KcEP  your  eyes  about  you ! "  shouted  Davy 
Jones ;  "  mebbe  there's  more  where  that  stone  came 
from ! " 

But  after  the  rock  had  settled  quietly  in  the  road, 
silence  again  fell  upon  the  scene;  a  little  trickle  of 
dirt  glided  down  the  face  of  the  descent,  in  the 
track  the  round  rock  had  made ;  but  that  was  all. 

"  Whew !  that's  a  pretty  hefty  stone,  believe  me, 
fellers !  "  cried  Step  Hen. 

"  Whatever  loosened  it,  d'ye  s'pose  ?  "  asked  Gi- 
raffe, who  had  jumped  several  feet  when  he  heard 
the  alarm  given ;  for  his  recent  adventure  in  the  bed 
of  the  treacherous  stream  seemed  to  have  unnerved 
the  tall  boy,  usually  as  brave  as  the  next  scout. 

Thad  stepped  forward.  The  others  saw  him  bend 
over  the  big  rock  that  had  just  played  such  a  queer 
trick,  narrowly  missing  falling  among  the  gathered 
scouts. 

"Look  at  Thad,  would  you?*'  exclaimed  St^p 
Hen. 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  21 

**  What's  he  taking  out  of  that  crack  in  the 
rock?"  Giraffe  added.  "Say,  looks  Hke  a  dirty 
piece  of  paper;  and  that's  what  it  is,  sure  as  shootin', 
fellers ! " 

"  A  message  from  the  enemy ;  p'raps  he's  goin'  to 
surrender  unconditionally — ain't  that  the  way  they 
always  put  it?  "  Bumpus  called  out,  in  high  glee. 

Thad,  however,  after  glancing  down  at  the  paper 
he  had  extracted  from  the  crack  in  the  rock,  looked 
serious.  Evidently  to  him  at  least  it  was  no  laugh- 
ing matter, 

"  What  does  she  say,  Thad  ?  "  demanded  Giraffe, 
always  curious. 

"  Sure,  if  we've  got  any  right  to  know,  read  it 
out,  Mr.  Scout  Master,"  Bumpus  echoed,  in  his 
merry  way,  his  eyes  shining  with  eagerness. 

The  scouts  clustered  around  Thad  as  he  once 
again  held  the  scrap  of  soiled  paper  up  so  he  could 
see  the  comparatively  few  words  scrawled  upon  it 
with  a  pencil,  that  must  have  been  a  mere  stub,  since 
it  evidently  had  to  be  frequently  wet  in  order  to 
make  it  do  duty. 

"  It's  brief,  and  to  the  point,  I  give  you  my  word, 
boys,"  he  said.  "  Here,  let  me  hold  it  up,  and  every 
one  of  you  can  push  in  to  read  for  yourselves.  The 
writer  believes  in  making  his  words  correspond 
with  their  sound.  With  that  for  a  tip  you  ought  to 
be  able  to  make  it  out." 

And  this,  then,  was  what  they  read,  as  they 


22  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

bunched  together  on  the  mountain  road  running 
through  the  valley  of  the  Smoky  Range  : 

"  Beter  tak  my  advis  an  skip  outen  this  neck  ov 
the  woods.  The  men  round  heer  aint  gut  no  use  fo 
you-uns  in  thes  mountings.    That's  awl.     Savvy  ?  " 

There  was  no  signature  to  the  communication. 

"Well,  that's  cool,  to  say  the  least,"  remarked 
Allan,  after  he  had  read  the  uncouth  note  that  had 
come  down  with  the  rock  that  fell  from  above. 

"  Tells  us  to  turn  right  around,  and  go  back,"  de- 
clared Giraffe,  who  was  inclined  to  be  peppery,  and 
a  bit  rash.  "  Now,  I  like  the  nerve  of  the  gent. 
Just  as  if  we  didn't  have  as  much  right  to  wander 
through  these  mountains  and  valleys  as  the  next 


one." 


i( 


We're  minding  our  own  business,  and  I  don't 
see  how  anybody  would  want  to  shoo  us  away  from 
here,"  said  Smithy,  brushing  off  some  imaginary 
specks  of  dust  from  his  neat  khaki  uniform,  always 
spic  and  span  in  comparison  with — that  of  Bumpus 
for  example,  showing  the  marks  of  many  a  tumble. 
Thad  was  rather  puzzled  himself.  He  knew  that 
it  would  be  hardly  wise  for  a  parcel  of  boys  to  de- 
liberately defy  such  a  notorious  character  as  Old 
Phin  the  moonshiner,  whom  the  Government  had 
never  been  able  to  capture ;  but  then  again  there  was 
a  natural  reluctance  in  his  boyish  heart  to  retreat 
before  making  some  sort  of  show  with  regard  to 
carrying  out  their  original  design. 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  23 

Besides,  when  he  happened  to  glance  toward  Bob 
iWhite,  and  saw  how  cruelly  disappointed  the  South- 
ern boy  looked,  Thad  immediately  changed  his  mind. 
Still,  he  wanted  to  hear  what  his  comrades  thought 
about  it ;  since  they  had  long  gone  by  the  wise  prin- 
ciple that  majority  rules. 

"  Shall  we  take  this  kind  advice,  and  go  back, 
boys  ?  "  he  asked. 

A  chorus  of  eager  dissenting  voices  greeted  his 
words. 

"  Not  for  Joseph,  not  if  he  knows  it ! "  Giraffe 
chortled. 

"  We  never  turn  back,  after  once  weVe  placed 
our  hand  to  the  plow,"  remarked  the  pompous 
Smithy;  and  his  sentiment  was  cheered  to  the  echo. 

"  Take  a  vote  on  it,  Thad,"  advised  the  sagacious 
Allan,  knowing  that  if  trouble  came  along  after 
they  had  decided  to  continue  the  advance,  it  would 
be  just  as  well  to  point  to  the  fact  that  by  an  over- 
whelming majority  the  patrol  had  decided  upon  this 
rash  course. 

Every  fellow  held  up  his  hand  when  Thad  put 
the  question  as  to  whether  they  should  continue  the 
mountain  hike.  And  the  sad  look  vanished  from 
the  dark  face  of  Bob  White,  as  dew  does  before  the 
morning  sun. 

So  the  march  was  immediately  resumed,  and 
nothing  happened  to  disturb  their  peace  of  mind  or 
body.    No  more  rocks  came  tumbling  down  the  face 


24  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

of  the  mountain;  and  as  the  afternoon  advanced 
they  found  themselves  getting  deeper  and  deeper 
into  the  heart  of  the  uplifts. 

"  Wow !  but  this  is  a  lonesome  place,  all  right/* 
remarked  Step  Hen,  looking  up  at  the  lofty  ridges 
flanking  their  course.  "  I  give  you  my  word  for  it 
I'd  hate  to  be  caught  out  nights  alone  in  this  gay 
neighborhood.  If  ever  there  was  a  spooky  den,  this 
is  in,  right  here.  Glad  to  have  company ;  such  as  it 
is,  fellers." 

No  one  took  any  notice  of  the  pretended  slur. 
The  fact  was,  the  scouts  no  longer  straggled  along 
the  road  as  before  that  incident  of  the  falling  rock. 
They  seemed  to  feel  a  good  deal  like  Step  Hen  ex- 
pressed it,  that  under  the  circumstances  it  was  a 
good  thing  to  have  company.  In  union  there  was 
strength ;  and  eight  boys  can  do  a  great  deal  toward 
buoying  up  one  another's  drooping  courage. 

"  And  say,  looks  more  like  a  storm  comin*  waltzin' 
along  than  ever  before,"  Bumpus  observed,  as  he 
nodded  his  head  toward  the  heavens,  which  were 
certainly  looking  pretty  black  about  that  time. 

"  Thought  I  heard  a  grumble,  like  thunder  away 
off  in  the  distance ;  might  a  been  that  same  Old  Phin 
Dady  speakin'  his  mind  some  more,  though,"  re- 
marked Giraffe. 

"  Only  a  little  further,  suh,  and  we'll  come  to  an 
old  abandoned  log  cabin,  unless  my  calculations  are 
wrong;  which  ought  to  serve  us  for  a  shelter  to- 


IN  THE  BLUE  KIDGE  25 

night/'  was  the  cheering  news  from  Bob  White,  who 
was  supposed  to  know  this  country  like  a  book. 

"Bully  for  the  log  cabin!"  ejaculated  Bumpus, 
who,  being  heavy  in  build,  could  not  stand  a  long 
hike  as  well  as  some  other  fellows,  the  tall  Giraffe, 
for  instance,  whose  long  legs  seemed  just  made  for 
covering  ground  rapidly. 

Ten  minutes  later  Davy  Jones,  who  had  pushed 
to  the  van,  gave  a  shout. 

"  There^s  your  deserted  log  cabin !  "  he  remarked, 
pointing.     "  Am  I  correct,  Bob  ?  '* 

You  surely  are,  suh,"  replied  the  Southerner. 

And  as  I  fail  to  see  smoke  coming  from  the  chim- 
ney at  the  back,  it  looks  to  me  as  though  nobody  had 
got  ahead  of  us  there.  If  the  roof  only  holds,  we 
can  laugh  at  the  rain,  believe  me." 

When  the  scouts  hurried  up  to  the  cabin,  for  there 
was  now  no  longer  any  doubt  about  the  storm  being 
close  at  hand,  since  lightning  flashed  and  the  grum- 
ble of  thunder  had  changed  into  a  booming  that 
grew  louder  with  every  peal,  they  found  to  their 
great  satisfaction  that  it  seemed  in  a  fair  state  of 
preservation,  despite  the  fact  that  it  must  have  been 
left  to  the  sport  of  the  elements  for  many  a  long 
year. 

"  Nothing  wrong  with  this,  boys,"  announced  the 
scoutmaster,  as  they  pushed  inside  the  log  house, 
and  looked  around.  "  And  if  we  know  half  as  much 
as  we  think  we  do,  there'll  be  a  pile  of  wood  lying 


26  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

here  before  that  rain  drops  down  on  us.     Just  re- 
member that  we've  got  a  whole  night  ahead." 

"  Hurrah !  that's  the  ticket !  Get  busy  everybody. 
We  don't  belong  to  the  Beaver  Patrol,  but  we  can 
work  just  as  well  as  if  we  did.  Whoop  her  up, 
fellers ! " 

Bumpus  was  as  good  as  his  words.  Dropping  his 
haversack  and  staff  in  a  corner,  he  pushed  out  of 
the  door.  Although  the  evening  was  being  ushered 
in  sooner  than  might  have  been  expected,  owing  to 
the  swoop  of  the  storm,  there  was  still  plenty  of 
light  to  see  where  dry  wood  was  to  be  picked  up  for 
the  effort.  And  immediately  every  one  of  the  eight 
scouts  was  working  furiously  to  bring  in  a  good 
supply. 

No  doubt  the  rattle  of  the  thunder  caused  the 
boys  to  hurry  things ;  for  by  the  time  the  first  drops 
began  to  fall  they  had  secured  as  much  as  they  ex- 
pected to  use.  And  already  there  was  Giraffe  on  his 
knees  in  front  of  the  big  fireplace  that  lay  at  the  foot 
of  the  wide-throated  chimney,  whittling  shavings 
with  which  to  start  a  cheery  blaze. 

This  had  just  started  into  life  when  the  rattle  of 
a  horse's  hoofs  came  to  the  ears  of  the  boys  who 
had  clustered  at  the  door  to  witness  the  breaking  of 
the  summer  storm. 

"  Hey !  looks  like  another  pilgrim  overtaken  by 
the  gale,"  said  Davy  Jones,  as  a  man  on  horseback 
came   riding   furiously   along  the   wretched   road, 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  27, 

heading  straight  for  the  old  cabin;  as  though  he 
knew  of  its  presence,  and  might  indeed  have  found 
its  shelter  acceptable  on  other  occasions. 

He  was  evidently  greatly  astonished  to  find  the 
place  already  occupied  by  a  bevy  of  boys  dressed  in 
khaki  uniforms.  At  first  Thad  thought  he  could  see 
an  expression  akin  to  fear  upon  the  thin  face  of 
the  man,  who  seemed  to  be  something  above  the 
average  mountaineer ;  possibly  the  keeper  of  a  coun- 
try store  among  the  mountains;  or  it  might  be  a 
doctor;  a  lawyer,  or  a  county  surveyor,  for  he  had 
rather  a  professional  air  about  him. 

Allan  had  immediately  assured  him  that  they 
were  only  seeking  temporary  shelter  in  the  old 
cabin,  and  that  he  would  be  quite  welcome  to  share 
it  with  them  until  the  storm  blew  over,  or  as  long  as 
he  wished  to  stay. 

As  the  man,  leaving  his  horse  tied  outside  to  take 
the  rain  as  it  came,  pushed  inside  the  cabin,  Thad 
saw  Bob  White  suddenly  observe  him  with  kindling 
eyes.  Then  to  his  further  surprise  he  noticed  that 
the  Southern  boy  drew  the  rim  of  his  campaign  hat 
further  down  over  his  eyes,  as  though  to  keep  his 
face  from  being  recognized  by  the  newcomer. 

Another  minute,  and  Bob  had  drawn  the  young 
scoutmaster  aside,  to  whisper  in  his  ear  a  few  words 
that  aroused  Thad's  curiosity  to  the  utmost. 

"  That  is  Reuben  Sparks,  the  guardian  of  my  lit- 
tle cousin  Bertha,  a  cruel  man,  who  hates  our  whole 


28  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

'family.  He  must  not  recognize  me,  or  it  might  spoil 
one  of  my  main  objects  in  coming  down  here  into 
the  Blue  Ridge  valleys.  Warn  the  boys  when  you 
can,  please  Thad,  not  to  mention  me  only  as  Bob 
White.  Oh !  I  wonder  if  this  meeting  is  only  an  ac- 
cident; or  was  guided  by  the  hand  of  fateS  " 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  29 


CHAPTER  IV. 

AFTER  THE  STORM. 

Thad  remembered  that  on  several  other  occa- 
sions the  Southern  boy  had  mentioned  the  name  of 
his  little  cousin,  and  always  with  a  certain  tender 
inflection  to  the  soft  voice  that  stamped  him  for  one 
who  had  been  born  below  the  Dixie  line. 

And  while  Bob  White  had  not  seen  fit  to  take  his 
friend  into  his  confidence  it  had  always  been  plain 
to  Thad  that  the  other  must  have  cherished  a  deep 
affection  for  the  said  Bertha;  perhaps,  since  he  had 
no  sister  of  his  own,  she  may  have  been  as  dear  to 
him  as  one,  in  those  times  when  he  lived  among  the 
Blue  Ridge  mountains. 

Before  now  Thad  had  strongly  suspected  that 
Bob  had  some  other  object  in  coaxing  his  comrades 
to  make  the  pilgrimage  to  the  Land  of  the  Sky,  be- 
sides the  desire  to  show  them  its  wonders.  And  now 
his  own  words  proved  it.  More  than  that,  it  seemed 
to  have  some  strange  connection  with  this  same  little 
cousin,  Bertha;  and  naturally  with  her  legally  ap* 
pointed  guardian,  Reuben  Sparks. 


30  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

Thad,  first  of  all,  managed  to  pass  the  word 
around  in  a  whisper,  just  as  Bob  wished  it  done. 
The  boys  understood  that  there  was  a  reason  back 
of  the  request,  and  expected  that  their  comrade 
would  take  them  into  his  confidence  later  on.  Be- 
sides, there  had  really  never  been  the  slightest  chance 
that  any  one  of  them  would  breathe  that  name  of 
Quail  in  connection  with  Bob;  indeed,  most  of 
them  would  have  had  to  stop  and  think,  if  suddenly 
asked  what  his  real  name  was,  so  seldom  did  they 
hear  it  mentioned. 

The  man  on  horseback  was  chatting  with  Allan 
and  several  others.  He  did  not  hesitate  to  ask  ques- 
tions, and  was  soon  put  in  possession  of  the  fact 
that  they  were  merely  the  members  of  a  Boy  Scout 
patrol,  making  a  strenuous  hike  through  the  Big 
Smoky  spur  of  the  Blue  Ridge. 

Thad  saw  that  he  eyed  them  queerly  many  times, 
as  though  rather  doubtful  whether  they  were  giv- 
ing him  a  straight  story;  but  the  coming  of  the 
storm  soon  held  the  attention  of  them  all. 

Just  as  they  had  expected,  it  was  the  real  thing 
in  the  way  of  a  summer  storm.  The  lightning 
flashed  in  a  way  that  was  not  only  dazzling  but 
"  fearsome  "  as  Smithy  expressed  it,  in  his  elegant 
way.  And  as  for  the  crashes  of  thunder  that  fol- 
lowed each  and  every  electric  current,  they  deafened 
the  ears  of  the  scouts. 

A  deluge  of  rain  fell  in  a  short  time,  and  th« 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  31 

rush  of  water  near  by  told  that  the  little  stream, 
which  they  had  struck  many  times  during  the  after- 
noon, had  all  of  a  sudden  become  a  raging  torrent. 

Nobody  was  sorry  when  finally  the  racket  began 
to  subside,  and  the  rain  stopped  as  suddenly  as  it  had 
started. 

"  She's  done  for,  remarked  Bumpus,  in  a  relieved 
tone,  as  though  he  had  been  half  suspecting  that  the 
stream  might  rise  in  its  might,  and  sweep  cabin, 
scouts  and  all  down  through  the  valley. 

The  resident  of  the  region  who  had  also  sought 
shelter  in  the  friendly  cabin  by  the  wayside,  looked 
out  first,  to  assure  himself  that  his  horse  had  come 
through  the  storm  safely.  Then  he  called  out  good- 
bye, and  mounting,  rode  away. 

"  Good  riddance  to  bad  rubbish,  I  take  it,"  de- 
clared Giraffe.  "  Whenever  the  fire  flashed  up  that 
gent  would  look  around  the  queerest  way  ever,  as 
though  he  kind  of  thought  we  might  be  revenue 
agents  playing  a  fine  game  on  his  friends,  the  moon- 
shiners." 

"  Be  careful  what  you  say.  Giraffe,"  advised  the 
more  cautious  Thad.  "  When  you're  in  the  enemy's 
country  you  want  to  use  soft  words.  Besides,  you're 
only  guessing  when  you  say  that.  He  was  naturally 
curious  about  us.  Some  people  would  think  a  bunch 
of  boys  stark  crazy,  to  try  and  hike  through  such 
wild  country  as  this,  when  we  could  have  taken  to 
the  good  roads  up  in  New  York  State,  had  orchards 


32  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

all  along  the  way,  and  good-natured  farmers  galore 
to  buy  milk  and  eggs  from  when  we  got  hungry." 

"  I  hope,  suh,  you  won't  be  sorry  you  came  down 
this  aways,''  Bob  White  spoke  up.  "  I  take  it  as  a 
great  compliment,  believe  me,  that  you-all  would 
care  to  keep  me  company  when  I  said  I  felt  that  I 
just  had  to  come  back  here  on  a  visit,  to  see  what 
changes  there  were,  and  do  a  little  private  business  in 
the  bargain.  I'm  aware  of  the  fact  that  there  isn't 
anything  much  worth  seeing  here,  suh;  except  the 
untamed  wilderness ;  but  they's  always  plenty  of  ex- 
citement going  around,  I  understand." 

"  I  should  guess  yes,"  broke  out  Step  Hen,  "  with 
that  same  Old  Phin  hangin'  'round  with  his  eye  on 
the  watch  for  revenues.  But  see  here.  Bob,  don't 
you  think  you  owe  us  a  little  explanation  about  this 
racket — meaning  your  relations  with  the  gent  who 
is  guardian  to  your  sweet  little  cousin  Bertha  ?  " 

"  So  say  we  all,"  chorused  Davy  Jones,  Giraffe 
and  Bumpus,  solemnly,  as  they  gathered  around  the 
Southern  boy. 

Bob  White  looked  at  their  eager  faces  for  a  min- 
ute before  speaking.  There  was  something  akin  to 
real  affection  to  be  seen  there  as  he  turned  his  eyes 
from  one  to  another  of  his  mates.  The  boy  from 
Dixie  had  not  been  in  the  habit  of  making  friends 
easily  in  earlier  days;  but  when  he  landed  in  Cran- 
f  ord  he  had  soon  been  captivated  by  the  sincere  com- 
panionship of  Thad  Brewster;  and  when  he  joined 


IN  THE  BLUE  KIDGE  33 

the  new  patrol  of  the  scouts  he  quickly  learned  to 
appreciate  the  many  good  qualities  that  marked  the 
other  members. 

"  Yes,  it's  only  fair,  boys,"  he  began,  slowly  yet 
with  an  evident  determination  to  take  them  at  least 
part  way  into  his  confidence ;  "  that  you  should  know 
just  why  I  didn't  want  any  of  you  to  tell  the  name 
of  the  town  we  hailed  from,  when  that  man  was  in 
here.  He  would  have  recognized  it  as  my  new 
home,  and  might  have  suspected  that  I  brought  you 
all  down  here  for  a  purpose." 

"  Which  you  did,"  interrupted  Bumpus ;  "  to  ad- 
mire the  scenery;  rough  it  awhile  in  the  Land  of 
the  Sky;  and  show  us  something  of  your  native 
country.  If  there  was  anything  more,  we  didn't 
know  it,  Bob  White.  But  we're  comrades,  one  and 
all;  and  if  we  c'n  do  anything  to  help  you  tide  over 
some  trouble,  why,  you've  just  got  to  tell  now." 

"  That  is  fine  of  you,  Bumpus,  and  I  thank  you 
from  the  bottom  of  my  heart,"  continued  the  other, 
strangely  moved.  "  But  let  me  tell  you  a  few  things 
first  before  you  make  such  a  rash  promise,  which  I 
am  not  going  to  hold  you  to,  suh.  The  man  who 
was  in  this  cabin,  Reuben  Sparks,  is  said  to  be  the 
richest  and  meanest  in  these  parts.  It  has  been 
hinted  more  than  a  few  times  that  he  has  always 
been  thick  with  Old  Phin  Dady.  But  no  matter 
how  he  came  by  his  money,  he  is  something  of  a 
miser." 


34  THE  BOY  SCOUTS       ^    . 

"  No  relation  of  yours,  I  hope,  then.  Bob?  "  asked 
Step  Hen. 

None  whatever,  suh,"  replied  the  other,  proudly. 

The  Quails  would  never  have  descended  to  the 
common  methods  that  man  has  practiced  in  order  to 
make  money.  But  somehow  he  managed  to  gain  an 
influence  over  my  Uncle  Robert,  after  whom  I  was 
named,  as  you  may  guess,  suh.  When  the  father  of 
Cousin  Bertha  died,  in  his  will  he  left  the  child 
solely  in  the  charge  of  Reuben  Sparks,  until  she 
came  of  age;  and  he  was  also  given  control  of  her 
little  fortune." 

The  boy  ground  his  teeth  hard  together,  showing 
how  even  the  recollection  of  this  moved  him.  But 
recovering  his  customary  calmness  he  continued: 

"  She  was  the  prettiest  little  thing  you  ever  saw, 
suh,  take  my  word  f oh  it.  And  no  boy  ever  thought 
more  of  his  pet  sister  than  I  did  of  my  little  cousin. 
My  father  thought  it  a  shame,  and  tried  to  get  pos- 
session of  her;  but  this  Reuben  Sparks  had  the  law 
on  his  side,  and  all  our  efforts  failed.  After  that 
he  would  never  even  let  me  see  her,  so  great  was 
his  hatred  for  our  family. 

'  "  One  way  or  another  we  managed  to  exchange 
word,  and  when  our  folks  went  up  Nawth  to  look 
after  the  mills  my  father  had  purchased  before  his 
death,  I  had  just  two  letters  from  Bertha  before 
something  happened,  and  they  stopped  coming.  Of 
course  I  supposed  that  her  guardian  had  found  out 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  35 

about  it,  and  fixed  matters  so  no  letter  of  mine — and 
I  sent  seven  before  owning  up  beaten  in  the  game — 
could  reach  her. 

"  I  just  stood  it  till  I  couldn't  sleep  nights,  think- 
ing that  perhaps  she  was  being  made  unhappy  by 
that  cruel  man.  And  so  I  made  up  my  mind  I'd 
come  down  here  again,  and  find  out  the  truth,  if  I 
had  to  steal  into  his  house,  and  see  Bertha  without 
his  knowing  it.  I  wanted  to  tell  you  this  before, 
believe  me,  suh,"  addressing  Thad  in  particular,  as 
the  head  of  the  patrol;  while  his  fine  eyes  filled  up 
on  account  of  his  emotion ;  "  but  somehow  I 
couldn't  bring  myself  to  do  it.  And  now,  after 
hearing  my  story  briefly,  if  you-all  feel  that  it 
would  be  asking  too  much  of  my  comrades  to  expect 
to  have  their  backing  in  my  wildcat  scheme,  please 
don't  hesitate  to  say  so,  suh.  I'll  think  just  as  well 
of  you  in  either  case." 

Thad  reached  out,  and  caught  the  quivering  hand 
of  the  Southern  boy  in  his  own. 

"  Why,  Bob,"  he  said,  earnestly,  "  I  think  I  voice 
the  sentiments  of  every  fellow  in  the  patrol  when  I 
say  most  emphatically  that  we're  going  to  stand  by 
you  through  thick  and  thin.  I'm  sure  you  won't 
do  anything  but  what  is  right,  and  what  is  bound  to 
reflect  credit  on  you  as  a  true  scout.  How  about 
that,  fellows?" 

"  Move  we  make  it  unanimous !  "  cried  Bumpus, 
instantly. 


36  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 


it 


Ay,  ay!  that's  the  ticket/'  exclaimed  others. 
You  hear  what  they  say.  Bob  White  ? "   re- 
marked Thad,  warmly. 

"  We'll  back  our  comrade  up,  even  to  kidnapping 
the  cruel  guardian,  and  rescuing  the  pretty  little 
cousin !  "  Smithy  declared  with  unusual  vim,  for 
him. 

"  Oh !  "  said  Bob  with  a  smile,  as  he  looked  from 
one  flushed  face  to  another.  "Of  course  I  don't 
imagine  it'll  ever  go  that  far,  boys ;  but  I  thank  you 
for  this  expression  of  your  friendship.  I  will  never 
forget  it,  suh,  never  while  I  live.  And  I  only  hope 
that  some  day  in  the  future  I  may  be  able  to  repay 
the  kindness  to  one  and  to  all." 

"  Then  I  take  it  that  this  Reuben  Sparks  does  not 
live  a  great  way  beyond  where  we  happen  to  be 
camped  right  now?  "  remarked  Allan. 

"  I  expected  to  show  you  the  place  sometime  to- 
morrow, suh.  It  is  worth  seeing,  upon  my  word,'* 
replied  Bob. 

"  Now  I  know  that  there's  a  whole  lot  of  truth  in 
that  old  saying  about  the  devil  taking  care  of  his 
own,"  Giraffe  mentioned.  "  The  rest  of  you  heard 
Reuben  say  he  had  been  tempted  to  stop  under  that 
big  tree  we  passed  on  the  way  here;  but  on  second 
thoughts  decided  to  come  along  to  the  cabin.  When 
that  one  terrible  crack  came  he  got  as  white  as  a 
sheet,  and  told  me  he  believed  that  that  very  tree 
must  have  been  struck.    Where  would  Reuben  have 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  31 

been  if  he'd  stayed  there  ?    Kind  of  scattered  around 
the  landscape,  I  guess." 

Thad  had  just  started  to  say  that  it  was  time  they 
thought  about  getting  some  supper,  when  he  was  in- 
terrupted in  a  most  disagreeable  manner.  Indeed, 
for  the  moment  all  idea  of  ever  wanting  to  eat  again 
in  this  world  vanished  from  his  mind;  for  some- 
thing occurred  that  caused  the  scouts  to  rush  toward 
the  end  of  the  cabin  where  the  chimney  stood,  and 
catch  hold  of  each  other  in  sudden  terror  and  dis- 
may. 


38  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 


CHAPTER  V, 

THE  JONES  BOY  COMES  TO  GRIEF  AT  LAST. 

There  was  a  rumbling  sound,  not  unlike  the  roar 
13 f  a  heavy  freight  train  coming  down  the  grade  of 
a  mountain.  All  of  the  scouts  plainly  felt  the  cabin 
quiver  as  though  in  the  throes  of  an  earthquake. 

Then  succeeded  a  crash,  as  the  further  end  was 
knocked  out.  For  a  moment  Thad  really  feared 
they  were  done  for,  and  his  very  heart  seemed  to 
stand  still  with  dread.  Then,  as  the  awful  sounds 
died  away,  save  for  the  patter  of  small  stuff  on  the 
cabin  roof,  he  breathed  naturally  again. 

Whatever  it  was  that  had  happened,  no  one  had 
been  hurt ;  and  at  least  they  could  find  consolation  in 
this. 

"  It's  an  earthquake ! ''  exclaimed  Bumpus,  being 
the  very  first  to  recover  the  use  of  his  voice. 

"A  landslide,  you  mean!"  echoed  Giraffe,  con- 
trary minded. 

"Thad,  you  say?'*  asked  Step  Hen;  just  as 
though  the  leader  could  determine  the  nature  of 
the  calamity  better  than  any  one  else. 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  39 

'*  I  think  Giraffe  struck  it  about  right,"  Thad  an- 
swered. 

"  You  mean  part  of  the  hillside  caved  away  ? " 
further  questioned  Bumpus. 

"  Must  have  been  the  whole  mountain  top,  by  the 
racket  it  kicked  up,  "  Davy  Jones  grumbled ;  "  say, 
my  heart  turned  upside  down ;  and  I'll  have  to  stand 
on  my  head  to  get  it  to  working  again  the  right 
way." 

"  And  look  at  what  it  did  to  our  snug  old  cabin ; 
tore  the  whole  end  off !  "  observed  Step  Hen,  rue- 
fully. "  Now,  if  it  happened  to  be  a  cold  night, 
why,  we'd  just  be  freezing  to  death,  that's  what. 
Anybody  seen  my  cap  around ;  my  hair  stood  up  on 
end  with  the  scare,  and  I  must  have  dropped  it? 
Thank  you,  Allan,  for  picking  it  up.  I  do  have  the 
worst  luck  about  losing  my  things  you  ever  saw." 

"  Seems  to  me,"  remarked  Allan,  soberly,  "  that 
instead  of  complaining  the  way  you  fellows  are  do- 
ing, we  ought  to  be  mighty  thankful  it  wasn't  any 
worse." 

*'  Yes,  that's  what  I  was  thinking,"  Smithy  added, 
as  he  let  go  Allan's  arm,  which  he  must  have  uncon- 
sciously gripped  in  his  sudden  fright;  "what  if  we 
had  run  to  that  end  of  the  cabin,  things  would  look 
somewhat  different  right  now." 

Ugh!    guess    that's    right,"    Giraffe    admitted; 
and  for  one  I  ain't  goin'  to  make  any  more  com- 
plaint.   But  what  under  the  sun  was  it  hit  us  ?  " 


40  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 


(( 


A  big  rock  must  have  dropped  down  from  the 
side  of  the  mountain,  and  tore  out  the  end  of  the 
old  cabin/*  Thad  explained.  "  It  came  on  this  night 
of  all  nights,  just  when  we  happened  to  be  camped 
here.  And  the  cabin  has  stood  unharmed  for  as 
much  as  thirty  years.  Bob  White  says." 
I  call  that  queer,  now,"  said  Bumpus. 
It's  more  than  that,  Bumpus,"  Smithy  re- 
marked, in  his  most  mysterious  manner ;  "  I'd  call 
it  highly  significant,  if  you  asked  my  opinion." 

"  Wow !  listen  to  that,  would  you  ?  "  exclaimed 
Step  Hen,  shuddering  again.  "  He  means  that  the 
rock  was  smashed  down  by  somebody  who  wanted 
to  chase  us  out  of  this  region.  And  that  must  be 
our  old  friend,  Phin  Dady,  the  moonshiner !  " 

Thad  bent  down,  and  proceeded  to  light  a  handy 
little  lantern  which  one  of  the  boys  had  carried  for 
emergencies. 

"  I'm  going  to  take  a  look  out,  and  see  what 
struck  us,"  he  remarked. 

"Be  careful,  Thad,"  warned  Allan;  "another 
rock  might  follow  the  first." 

"  And  if  you  hear  the  least  suspicious  sound, 
jump  for  all  that's  out,"  added  Bumpus,  ready  to 
admire  the  nerve  of  one  who  could  face  danger  so 
readily,  even  though  not  capable  of  imitating  Thad's 
example  himself. 

"  Oh  1  I  reckon  there's  little  chance  of  anything 
like  that  happening,"  the  other  sent  back,  with  a 


IN  THE  BLUE  KIDGE  41 

little  laugh,  as  though  he  wanted  to  cheer  his  chums 
up ;  "  you  know,  they  say  lightning  never  strikes  in 
the  same  place  twice.  It's  taken  thirty  years  for  a 
rock  to  hit  this  cabin,  though  plenty  must  have  slid 
down  the  side  of  the  mountain  in  that  time.  Be 
back  in  a  jiffy,  boys." 

With  that  he  stepped  out  of  the  door,  which  had 
been  burst  open  when  the  log  structure  received  such 
a  terrific  jolt.  The  other  boys  clustered  there  by 
the  revived  fire,  exchanging  views,  and  waiting  for 
the  return  of  those  who  had  gone  outside;  for  Bob 
White  had  silently  followed  Thad,  as  though  he  felt 
that  since  it  was  through  his  invitation  that  the 
scouts  were  placed  in  this  predicament,  he  ought  to 
do  everything  in  his  power  to  ease  the  strain. 

When  they  entered  again  in  less  than  ten  minutes, 
of  course  a  bombardment  of  eager  questions  saluted 
them. 

"  Slow  up,  fellows,"  Thad  said,  laughingly.  "  If 
I  tried  to  answer  you  all,  I'd  be  apt  to  get  my  tongue 
twisted  some,  and  that's  a  fact.  Yes,  it  was  a  rock 
that  did  the  damage,  just  as  we  guessed.  It  rolled 
down  from  somewhere  above;  but  we  could  only 
guess  at  that,  it's  so  dark  out  there.  And  after 
taking  a  look  at  the  size  of  the  same.  Bob  and  my- 
self made  up  our  minds  we  had  reason  to  be  mighty 
thankful  that  it  only  touched  the  end  of  the  cabin, 
instead  of  hitting  it  square  in  the  center." 

"  But   whoever   started   it   rolling  ?  "   demanded 


I 


42  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

Bumpus ;  and  it  was  evident  from  the  way  the  others 
waited  to  hear  what  Thad  would  say  to  this,  that 
they  laid  great  stress  on  the  answer. 

"  Well,"  returned  the  other,  soberly,''  of  course 
we  couldn't  make  dead  certain,  but  after  seeing  the 
heft  of  that  rock  we  believed  that  it  was  never 
started  by  any  human  hands.  The  rain  and  storm 
must  have  undermined  it." 

Bumpus  heaved  a  big  sigh  of  relief. 

"Well,"  said  he,  "I'm  glad  of  that.  It's  bad 
enough  to  think  you're  bein'  bombarded  by  rocks 
that  just  take  a  silly  notion  to  drop  when  we  come 
along;  but  it'd  be  a  heap  sight  worse  if  the  men  of 
the  Big  Smokies  were  throwing  such  pebbles  at  us, 
haphazard.  Whew !  I'm  hungry,  fellers ;  who  says 
grub  ?  " 

That  was  just  like  a  boy,  to  remember  his  natural 
appetite  right  on  the  heels  of  the  greatest  fright  of 
his  whole  life.  And  as  the  others  admitted  to  feel- 
ing somewhat  the  same  way,  there  ensued  a  bustle 
to  see  how  soon  supper  could  be  gotten  ready. 

The  members  of  the  Silver  Fox  Patrol  were  no 
longer  greenhorns,  though  one  or  two  of  them  gave 
evidence  that  they  had  not  yet  graduated  from  the 
tenderfoot  class.  They  had  learned  a  great  deal 
about  the  things  that  are  connected  with  a  camp 
life,  because  they  had  spent  some  time  under  canvas 
on  Lake  Omega,  which  lay  not  many  miles  from 
their  home  town. 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  43 

And  then  again,  Thad  had  belonged  to  a  troop 
of  scouts  before  coming  to  Cranford ;  while,  as  for 
Allan,  he  had  been  through  the  mill  so  often  up  in 
Maine  and  elsewhere,  that  he  was,  as  Bumpus  de- 
clared, a  "  walking  edition  of  what  to  do,  and  what 
not  to  do  when  in  the  woods." 

It  is  true  that  on  this  big  hike  through  the  moun- 
tains they  were  compelled  to  travel  very  light,  and 
would  miss  many  of  the  things  that  had  added 
greatly  to  their  comfort  on  that  other  occasion.  But 
then  it  was  their  desire  to  learn  how  to  rough  it, 
taking  the  knocks  with  the  good  things. 

By  this  time  some  of  the  lads  were  beginning  to 
believe  that  they  would  rub  up  against  plenty  of  the 
"knocks"  all  right;  especially  if  things  kept  on  as 
they  had  commenced  since  striking  this  wonderful 
''  Land  of  the  Sky." 

The  supper  put  them  in  something  like  their 
customary  good  humor.  Indeed,  as  they  sat  around 
the  fire  afterwards,  Bumpus  was  induced  to  sing 
several  of  their  school  songs,  so  that  the  whole  of 
them  might  join  in  the  rollicking  chorus.  Strange 
sounds  indeed  to  well  up  out  of  that  valley,  so  lately 
the  theater  of  a  war  between  the  elements,  as  light- 
ning and  rain  vied  with  each  other  to  produce  a  panic 
in  the  breasts  of  these  same  boys  who  now  sang  and 
joked  as  though  they  had  not  a  care  in  the  world. 

Only  Bob  White  remained  very  quiet.  Thad  often 
glanced  toward  the  Southern  lad,  with  sympathy  in 


44  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

his  look.  He  could  eaiily  understand  that,  with 
their  arrival  in  this  mountainous  region,  where  the 
other  had  spent  many  of  his  earlier  years,  old 
memories  must  be  revived,  some  pleasant,  and  pos- 
sibly others  of  a  disagreeable  nature. 

Finally  they  agreed  that  it  would  be  wise  to  get 
some  sleep,  as  another  day  lay  before  them.  And 
accordingly,  in  the  customary  fashion,  the  bugler 
sounded  "  taps,'*  and  each  scout  tried  to  find  a  soft 
board,  upon  which  he  might  rest  his  weary  body 
during  the  hours  that  must  elapse  before  dawn 
arrived. 

A  watch  was  kept  up,  one  fellow  taking  an  hour 
at  a  time,  and  then  arousing  the  next  on  the  list; 
so  that  at  no  time  was  the  cabin  unguarded  while 
the  night  slowly  passed. 

But  nothing  happened  to  disturb  the  scouts;  and 
as  morning  came  at  last  they  began  to  get  up  and 
stretch,  rubbing  their  limbs  as  though  the  hard  bed 
had  not  been  the  nicest  thing  possible.  But  there 
was  little  grumbling.  They  had  learned  to  take 
things  as  they  came;  which  is  one  of  the  finest 
results  of  Boy  Scout  experience.  The  philosophy  of 
the  woods  teaches  that  in  the  very  start — try  for  the 
best  results;  but  after  you  have  done  your  best, 
accept  the  situation  with  cheerfulness. 

Again  the  notes  of  the  bugle  sounded  the  "  as- 
sembly," as  breakfast  was  declared  ready;  and  half 
an  hour  later  they  left  their  shelter  of  the  night. 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  45 

"  Good-bye  old  cabin !  "  sang  out  Bumpus,  waving 
his  fat  hand  back  toward  the  wrecked  log  house; 
"you  treated  us  pretty  decent  after  all,  and  we'll 
never  forget  you.  Long  may  you  wave,  and  offer 
shelter  to  other  pilgrims  storm  chased !  " 

As  the  sun  climbed  above  the  rim  of  the  encircling 
mountains  the  spirits  of  the  boys  mounted  in  propor- 
tion. Davy  Jones  was  up  to  his  usual  pranks,  being 
hard  to  control.  They  would  miss  him  for  a  short 
time,  only  to  hear  a  whoop ;  and  looking  up,  discover 
the  acrobatic  boy  hanging  by  his  knees,  or  it  might 
be  his  toes,  from  the  limb  of  a  tree,  thirty  feet  or 
more  above  the  ground. 

Thad  knew  from  experience  that  it  was  next  to 
impossible  to  restrain  the  Jones  boy;  he  must  have 
his  frolic  out ;  and  so  they  only  laughed  at  his  antics, 
and  wondered  what  next  the  daring  Davy  would  at- 
tempt. 

Ten  minutes  later  he  was  seen  standing  on  his 
head  on  the  edge  of  what  appeared  to  be  a  deep 
ravine  or  gulch,  and  kicking  his  heels  in  the  air. 

All  sorts  of  dire  things  had  always  been  predicted 
as  going  to  overtake  Davy  sooner  or  later,  unless  he 
gave  up  these  venturesome  pranks;  and  this  time 
it  actually  looked  as  though  they  were  about  to  be 
fulfilled.  For  even  as  the  seven  other  scouts  were 
watching  his  antics,  the  earth  at  the  edge  of  the 
gully  appeared  to  suddenly  give  way. 

Davy-  vanished  from  their  view,  the  last  thing 


46  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

they  saw  of  him  being  his  uptilted  heels,  waving 
what  seemed  to  be  a  frantic  farewell. 

With  cries  of  alarm  the  scouts  rushed  forward, 
fearful  as  to  what  they  would  see. 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  47 


CHAPTER  VI. 

MORE  SIGNS  OF  TROUBLE  AHEAD. 

"  Oh  !  did  you  see  him  kick  his  heels  at  us  as  he 
went  down?  "  gasped  Bumpus,  as  they  hurried  for- 
ward to  the  spot  where  the  venturesome  scout  had 
vanished  so  forlornly ;  "  I'll  never  forget  it,  never ! 
Just  like  the  poor  old  chap  wanted  to  say  '  good-bye 
boys ! '  " 

Bumpus  was  too  honest  and  warm  hearted  a  fel- 
low to  say  this  with  any  intention  of  being  hilarious. 
He  sincerely  felt  every  word  of  it. 

Of  course  the  long-legged  Giraffe  had  to  be  the 
first  to  arrive  on  the  scene  of  the  late  tragedy. 
Thad  felt  constrained  to  call  out  to  him  in  warning. 

"  Be  careful  there,  Giraffe,  or  else  there  may  be 
another  of  us  down  in  that  pocket.  Look  out  for 
your  footing,  I  tell  you !  " 

The  other  had  dropped  flat  on  his  chest.  He  was 
seen  to  stretch  his  neck  in  the  endeavor  to  get  the 
best  results  with  a  minimum  of  risk;  and  they  did 
say  that  when  Giraffe  really  and  truly  did  his 
prettiest  in  this  respect  he  could  cover  more  territory 
than  any  one  else  ever  seen. 


48  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

**0h!  is  he  smashed  flatter 'n  a  pancake?''  asked 
Step  Hen,  as  he  drew  near,  with  his  melancholy  face 
looking  longer  than  usual;  and  the  whites  of  his 
eyes  showing  strongly,  as  they  always  did  when  he 
was  frightened. 

Giraffe  twisted  his  head  around  with  the  utmost 
ease;  indeed,  from  the  length  of  his  neck  it  looked 
as  though  he  might  continue  the  turning  movement 
until  he  had  actually  made  a  complete  revolution. 

And  when  Thad  caught  sight  of  the  grin  on  his 
face  he  felt  immediately  relieved ;  for  surely  Giraffe 
loving  fun  as  much  as  he  did,  would  not  allow  this 
smirk  to  decorate  his  angular  countenance  unless 
there  seemed  little  danger. 

Another  minute,  and  all  of  them  were  ranged 
there  along  the  edge  of  the  gully,  staring  down  at 
Davy  Jones.  It  would  seem  that  the  other  had  been 
agile  enough  to  clutch  hold  of  a  small  tree  that 
jutted  out  from  the  steep  slope.  He  was  hanging  to 
it  now,  and  straining  the  best  he  knew  how  to  fling 
his  legs  upward,  so  as  to  relieve  the  situation,  and 
the  terrific  pull  on  his  arms. 

He  looked  upward  toward  the  row  of  faces  peep- 
ing over  the  edge  above ;  and  there  was  a  humorous 
grin  on  his  face.  He  knew  what  his  comrades  were 
doubtless  thinking  about  "  the  pitcher  that  went  once 
too  often  to  the  well;  "  and  that  their  natural  alarm 
having  passed,  they  would  see  only  the  humorous 
side  of  the  affair. 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  49 

Again  did  Davy  strain.  There  was  something 
connected  with  the  way  he  was  hanging  there  that 
seemed  to  prevent  him  from  accomplishing  the  re- 
sult he  wanted  to  attain.  For  the  first  time  they 
could  remember  the  boys  saw  that  the  gymnast  and 
acrobat  of  the  troop  had  certainly  met  his  match. 
Left  to  himself  he  would  surely  have  had  to  in- 
vent some  other  method  for  drawing  himself  up 
on  to  the  slender  horizontal  trunk  of  the  little  tree ; 
or  else  let  go,  and  drop. 

As  it  was  a  matter  of  some  twenty  feet  or  so  to 
the  bottom  of  the  gully;  and  the  chances  were  that 
he  might  receive  any  number  of  bad  scratches  while 
making  the  transit,  Davy  of  course  would  be  averse 
to  trying  this  plan. 

"  Guess  you'll  have  to  lend  me  a  hand  this  time, 
boys,"  he  called  out,  when  once  more  he  failed  to 
make  connection  between  his  squirming  legs  and 
the  body  of  the  tree. 

"  Who'll  go  down,  and  yank  him  on  to  that 
tree  ? "  asked  Bumpus ;  knowing  full  well  at  the 
same  time  that  no  one  could  have  the  nerve  to  ask 
a  fellow  of  his  heft,  when  there  were  so  many  others 
better  fitted  for  the  task. 

"  Don't  all  speak  at  once ! "  advised  the  hanging 
Davy. 

Somehow  all  eyes  were  turned  toward  Giraffe. 
As  the  most  agile  of  the  lot,  he  might  be  expected 
to  volunteer;  and  yet  with  not  a  particle  of  footing 


50  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

between  the  top  of  the  bank  and  that  tree,  some  ten 
feet  down,  the  job  was  hardly  one  that  might  ap- 
peal to  any  scout,  however  nimble. 

"  Oh !  you  needn't  look  at  me  that  way,"  he  com- 
plained; "  becau^se  I'm  long,  and  active,  you  just 
think  I  c'n  stretch  that  far;  but  it's  a  mistake.  But 
if  somebody  has  to  try  and  make  the  riffle,  I  s'pose 
it'll  be  me." 

He  started  to  take  off  his  knapsack  as  he  said 
this,  when  Thad  stopped  him. 

Wait,  Giraffe,"  said  the  patrol  leader,  quietly; 

perhaps,  after  all,  nobody  has  to  go  down  after 
Davy.  You  seem  to  forget,  all  of  you,  that  we've 
got  a  stout  rope  along  with  us.  What's  the  need 
of  carrying  such  a  thing,  if  it  can't  help  us  out  in 
a  pinch  ?  " 

"  Bully !  Sure  we've  got  a  rope,  and  a  dandy  one 
at  that !  "  cried  Bumpus,  growing  so  excited  that  he 
came  near  falling  over  the  edge,  and  had  to  clutch 
hold  of  the  nearest  scout  to  steady  himself. 

"If  you'd  gone  that  time,  Bumpus,  think  what  a 
splash  you'd  have  made  down  there.  Because  Davy 
got  hold  of  a  tree  don't  think  you  could  do  the  same. 
It'll  have  to  be  a  whopping  big  one  that  could  bear 
up  under  your  weight,  all  right,"  said  Step  Hen, 
who  chanced  to  be  the  one  whom  the  fat  boy  had 
caught  hold  of  in  his  sudden  alarm. 

It  turned  out  that  Bob  White  was  carrying  the 
rope.    He  had  it  wound  around  his  body  in  a  way 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  -  51 

Allan  had  shown  him,  so  that  it  did  not  interfere 
with  his  movements,  and  was  not  coming  loose  all 
the  time. 

Quickly  then  was  it  unwound.  In  order  to  hasten 
this,  the  boys  even  began  to  turn  Bob  around  like  a 
teetotum,  until  he  said  he  was  dizzy. 

"Lucky  it's  got  a  loop  handy  at  the  end,"  re- 
marked Allan,  as  he  took  the  rope,  and  sought  a 
position  directly  above  the  hanging  scout. 

"How  is  it,  Davy?"  he  asked,  while  lowering 
the  noose. 

"If  you  mean  how  much  longer  I  could  stand  it, 
I'd  say  not  a  big  lot,"  replied  the  one  addressed. 
"  You  see,  the  old  tree  cuts  my  hands  just  fierce ; 
and  I've  been  twisting  around  here  so  long  now  that 
I'm  gettin'  tired.  How're  you  goin'  to  fix  it,  Allan  ? 
Might  toss  the  loop  over  my  head;  but  I'm  afraid 
my  neck  wouldn't  hold  out.  If  it  was  Giraffe 
now " 

"  Here,  you  just  let  up  on  Giraffe,  and  pay  atten- 
tion to  what  Allan's  goin'  to  tell  you ;  hear  ?  "  called 
out  the  party  mentioned. 

"  Do  you  think  you  could  hold  on  with  one  arm, 
and  get  the  other  through  the  loop  ?  "  continued  the 
Maine  boy.  "Of  course,  if  you  can't,  why,  I  might 
swing  it  around,  and  you  could  somehow  stick  your 
feet  through;  when  we'd  drag  the  loop  up  under 
your  arms.     How  about  that,  Davy  ?  " 

But  Davy  made  a  test,  and  declared  that  one  hand 


52  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

would  hold  him  for  a  brief  time.  So,  in  this  way, 
the  rope  was  finally  placed  under  both  arms,  and 
tightened. 

"  Now,  get  hold  here,  fellows,  and  give  a  pull !  " 
said  Allan ;  "  hold  on,  not  so  rough  about  it,  Giraffe, 
or  you'll  rub  his  face  against  the  rocks  and  make  it 
worse  than  if  he'd  let  go,  and  dropped  down.  Here 
he  comes,  boys !  " 

"  Heave  ho ! "  sang  out  the  scouts,  and  foot  by 
foot  they  drew  the  unlucky  acrobat  once  more  to  the 
surface. 

"  Got  off  pretty  slick  that  time,  eh,  Davy?  "  de- 
manded Step  Hen,  after  the  other  had  been  landed, 
and  Bob  White  was  coiling  the  rope  around  himself 
again. 

"  Never  knew  me  to  miss  doin'  that,  did  you,  Step 
Hen  ?  "  queried  the  other ;  and  from  the  flippant 
tone  in  which  he  said  this  it  was  plainly  evident  that 
the  lesson  had  been  lost  on  him;  and  that  Davy 
would  be  doing  his  customary  stunts  right  along. 

The  hike  was  presently  resumed,  and  the  little 
adventure  reckoned  a  thing  of  the  past.  Shortly 
afterwards  they  came  suddenly  on  a  man,  with  an 
old  vehicle,  and  a  slab-sided  horse  that  looked  half 
starved.  The  ramshackle  wagon  bed  was  covered 
to  about  the  depth  of  three  feet  with  poor  looking 
straw,  that  seemed  to  have  done  duty  a  long  time. 

As  for  the  man  himself,  he  was  a  typical  moun- 
taineer, thin  and  scrawny,  with  a  small,  weasened 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  53 

face,  and  keen,  snapping  eyes.  Bob  White  instantly 
pulled  his  hat  down  over  his  face  as  he  saw  the  man. 

Thad  noticed  that  the  other  looked  alarmed  at 
sight  of  these  eight  khaki-clad  boys  strung  out  along 
the  mountain  road.  Indeed,  he  had  the  appearance 
of  a  man  who  would  have  turned  and  fled,  only  that 
he  was  afraid  to  do  so  after  finding  himself  face 
to  face  with  what  looked  like  a  squad  of  United 
States  regulars,  or  at  the  least,  North  Carolina 
militia,  on  the  hike. 

He  returned  the  greetings  of  the  boys  with  sundry 
nods  of  his  head,  and  urged  his  old  nag  along  by 
several  whacks  from  the  hickory  rod  he  held  in 
his  hand  in  lieu  of  a  whip.  So  ramshackle  vehicle 
and  scared  driver  vanished  around  the  bend  which 
had  concealed  the  scouts  from  his  view  until  it  was 
too  late  to  run. 

"  Looked  like  he'd  seen  a  ghost ! ''  suggested  Step 
Hen,  with  a  chuckle. 

"  Well,  you  can't  blame  him,  if  he  saw  you  roll 
your  eyes,  and  make  that  face  of  yours  look  like 
thirty  cents,"  remarked  Bumpus,  cuttingly. 

"  He  had  mountain  dew  hidden  under  that  straw," 
remarked  Bob  White ;  "  I  remember  the  old  fellow 
right  well,  and  I'm  glad  he  was  that  frightened  he 
didn't  think  to  take  at  look  at  me.  Nate  Busby  is 
his  name.  He  always  was  connected  with  Old  Phin, 
and  the  others  who  make  the  moonshine  stuff 
further  up  in  the  hills.     Right  now,  you  can  believe 


M  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

tne,  suh,  he's  on  his  way  with  that  load,  to  hide  it 
where  somebody  from  town  can  find  it/* 

"  He  don't  know  what  to  make  of  us,  seems 
like  ?  "  suggested  Giraffe. 

"  That  is  the  truth,  added  Thad.  "  I  thought  his 
eyes  would  drop  out,  he  stared  so  hard.  Seemed  to 
me  as  if  he  actually  expected  some  of  us  to  sur- 
round him,  and  examine  his  load.  How  he  did  whip 
that  old  nag  of  his.  The  beast  knicked  up  his  heels, 
and  galloped,  perhaps  for  the  first  time  in  years." 

All  of  them  laughed  as  they  went  on,  talking  by 
the  way.  Boys  can  discover  a  ludicrous  side  to 
almost  anything.  Good  health,  absence  of  worry, 
and  plenty  of  food  are  about  all  they  require;  and 
the  world  looks  its  brightest. 

Sometimes,  when  Thad  glanced  toward  the 
Southern  boy,  he  wondered  whether  Bob  had  taken 
them  wholly  into  his  confidence  on  the  last  evening 
when  he  told  them  about  his  life  amid  the  moun- 
tains and  valleys  of  the  Blue  Ridge  Range.  It 
struck  him  that  Bob  frowned  too  often  to  indicate  a 
clear  conscience. 

"  There's  something  else  on  his  mind,  and  that's 
certain,"  Thad  was  saying  to  himself.  "  He  keeps 
looking  in  my  direction  every  little  while,  and  I 
wouldn't  be  surprised  if  he  came  over  pretty  soon 
to  tell  me  something  he's  been  keeping  back.  But 
it  don't  matter ;  we'll  stand  behind  Bob  all  the  time. 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  55 

He's  a  fine  fellow,  as  true  as  gold;  and  one  scout 
should  always  help  another  in  trouble." 

His  reflections  were  interrupted  by  Bumpus,  who 
edged  over  nearer  the  patrol  leader  to  impart  the 
information  that,  happening  to  look  back,  he  had 
discovered  some  one  thrusting  his  head  out  from  be- 
hind a  rock,  as  though  he  might  be  following  in 
their  wake ! 


56  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  MESSAGE  OF  THE  SPLIT  STICK. 

A  TEMPORARY  halt  had  been  called,  and  the  scouts 
were  consulting  as  to  what  this  new  development 
might  mean. 

**  Sure  you  saw  a  man,  are  you,  Bumpus?  "  asked 
Giraffe,  as  though  he  had  an  idea  the  stout  boy 
might  have  deceived  himself.  "  *Twa'n*t  a  rolling 
stone,  now,  I  take  it?  Or  it  couldn't  have  been  a 
frisky  Httle  *  coon '  or  'possum,'  I  suppose?" 

"  Well,  what  d'ye  think  I've  got  eyes  for,  if  I 
don't  know  a  biped  when  I  see  one  ? "  retorted 
Bumpus,  indignantly.  "  He  was  as  plain  as  any- 
thing; and  makin'  from  one  pile  of  rocks  to  an- 
other. You  go  with  me  back  there,  and  I'll  show 
you.  Giraffe.  Then  you'll  believe  me  when  I  say  a 
thing." 

The  two  boys  made  a  move  as  if  to  carry  out  this 
project,  only  the  scoutmaster  put  a  stop  to  it. 

"  Don't  think  of  doing  that,  fellows,"  Thad  said, 
quickly.  "  These  mountaineers  are  a  thin-skinned 
lot,  as  far  as  I've  been  able  to  learn ;  and  they  won't 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  57 

stand  for  any  poking  of  your  nose  into  their  busi- 
ness. Besides,  if  it  was  a  man,  the  chances  are  he 
would  be  armed,  and  you  might  bring  a  hornet's  nest 
down  about  our  ears.'* 

"  Oh !  he  did  have  a  gun,  all  right,"  remarked 
Bumpus,  carelessly. 

"  You  didn't  mention  that  before,"  broke  in  Step 
Hen,  with  an  intaking  of  breath  that  betrayed  ex- 
citement. 

"  'Cause  nobody  asked  me ;  and  every  one  wanted 
to  have  something  to  say,"  retorted  the  other.  "  It 
was  a  gun,  and  an  awful  wicked  looking  one  too, 
about  as  long  as  my  staff,  seemed  to  me." 

*'  Could  it  have  been  Old  Phin?  "  suggested  Allan. 

"  How  about  that,  Bumpus ;  was  he  an  old  man 
with  a  gray  beard  ?  "  asked  Thad. 

"  Nixey ;  that  is  I  don't  know  how  old  he  might  a 
been ;  but  I'm  dead  sure  he  didn't  have  any  beard  at 
all,  just  a  smooth  face.  But  he  was  a  regular  moun- 
taineer, all  right,  Thad,  with  the  dingy  old  faded 
brown  homespun  clothes,  the  slouch  hat,  and  the 
ragged  pants  that  never  came  near  his  brogans.  He 
saw  me  lookin'  at  him,  for  he  put  on  a  little  spurt, 
and  dodged  behind  that  pile  of  rocks,  where  like  as 
not  he's  squattin'  right  now,  waitin'  to  see  what 
we're  agoin'  to  do  about  it,  and  ready  to  speak  to  us 
with  that  trusty  weapon  if  we  try  to  rush  his  fort." 

"  Well,  we're  going  to  do  nothing  of  the  kind, 
just  remember  that,"  said  Thad,  resolutely.     "  It's 


58  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

only  natural  that  the  men  of  these  mountains  should 
feel  a  whole  lot  of  curiosity  about  us.  I  suppose  now 
they  never  heard  of  the  Boy  Scouts ;  and  these  uni- 
forms make  them  think  we're  connected  with  the 
army.  Now,  we  don't  want  to  stir  them  up  any 
more  than  we  can  help.  They're  an  ugly  lot,  Bob 
here  says,  if  you  rub  the  fur  the  wrong  way.  We 
didn't  come  down  here  to  bother  these  moonshiners 
one  whit;  and  if  they'll  only  let  us  alone,  we  want 
to  keep  our  hands  off  their  affairs.  Let  the  fellow 
dodge  after  us  if  he  wants  to;  he'll  find  that  we're 
only  a  bunch  of  happy-go-lucky  boys,  off  for  a  holi- 
day." 

"  Pity  we  can't  meet  up  with  that  same  old  Phin, 
and  tell  him  as  much,"  Smithy  went  on  to  say. 

"  Perhaps  it  might  be  managed  easy  enough," 
Allan  observed,  and  all  of  them  immediately  turned 
toward  him,  feeling  that  he  had  some  scheme  to 
communicate. 

"  Open  up,  and  tell  us  what  it  is,  Allan,"  urged 
the  impatient  Bumpus. 

"  Yes,  don't  keep  us  guessing  any  more  than  you 
can  help,"  added  Step  Hen.  "  We've  sure  got 
enough  to  worry  us,  what  with  the  troubles  of 
Giraffe  getting  stuck  in  that  quicksand;  and  Davy 
here,  falling  over  every  old  precipice  he  can  find, 
without  you  making  us  puzzle  out  a  problem.  How 
could  it  be  done,  Allan  ?  " 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  59 

"  Why,  we'll  send  Old  Phin  a  letter,"  replied  the 
other,  calmly. 

"  Show  me  your  messenger,  then !  **  demanded 
Bumpus. 

Allan  picked  up  a  stick,  and  deliberately  split  one 
end  so  that  he  could  open  it  up.  This  he  thrust  into 
a  crevice  in  the  rocks  close  to  the  wretched  road,  and 
in  such  a  position  that  it  was  certain  to  meet  the 
eye  of  the  tracker  when  he  again  started  to  follow 
them. 

"  Now,  I'll  write  a  few  lines,  and  leave  it  here, 
addressed  to  Phin  Dady,"  he  went  on.  "  I'll  print 
the  words  in  capitals,  in  the  hopes  that  the  old  moun- 
taineer may  be  able  to  read  as  much  as  that.  If  he 
can't,  then  some  other  of  the  clan  may;  and  if  all 
else  fails,  they'll  have  some  boy  or  girl  make  it  out. 
How's  that,  Thad  ?  " 

"  Splendid,  I  should  say,"  replied  the  scoutmaster, 
smiling.  "Here,  Bumpus,  turn  around,  and  bend 
over." 

"What  you  goin'  to  do  to  me?"  demanded  the 
short  scout,  suspiciously,  as  he  hesitated  before  com- 
plying. 

"  Is  that  the  way  you  obey  orders  ? "  scoffed 
Giraffe.  "  A  true  scout  should  never  ask  questions. 
S'pose  them  dragoons  at  the  battle  of  the  Six  Hun- 
dred had  begun  to  want  to  know  the  whys  and 
wherefores  of  everything,  d'ye  think  we'd  ever  had 


60  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

any  chance  to  declaim  that  stirring  pome?  Shame 
on  you,  Bumpus,  take  a  brace,  and  obey  blindly." 

"  Oh !  I  only  want  the  use  of  your  broad  and 
steady  back  for  a  writing  desk,  so  Allan  can  get  his 
message  written,"  Thad  at  this  interesting  juncture 
remarked,  easing  the  strain,  and  dissipating  all  the 
fat  boy's  suspicions. 

When  Allan  had  made  out  to  complete  his  "  mes- 
sage "  he  read  it  aloud,  and  also  let  them  all  have  a 
look  at  it.  Just  as  he  had  said  he  would  do,  he  had 
written  it  in  the  most  primitive  way  possible,  by 
making  capitals  of  each  letter.  This  was  what  he 
had  done: 

"  Phin  Dady — We  are  a  patrol  of  Boy  Scouts, 
come  down  from  the  North  to  see  the  Carolina 
mountains.  We  do  not  mean  you,  or  any  one,  harm ; 
but  want  to  be  friends.  We  carry  no  arms  but  a 
single  shotgun." 

"  That  ought  to  answer  the  purpose,"  remarked 
Thad,  approvingly. 

"  I  didn't  want  to  say  too  much,  you  see,"  ob- 
served the  author  of  the  message,  as  he  fastened 
it  in  the  crotch  of  the  riven  stick,  where  it  must 
attract  the  attention  of  any  one  passing.  "  First,  I 
had  a  notion  to  mention  Bob's  name,  as  a  former 
resident;  and  then  I  remembered  that  he  said  he 
didn't  want  it  known  he'd  come  back.  So  I  left  that 
out." 

"  And  I'm  glad  you  did,"  said  the  one  in  question, 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  61 

hastily ;  "  it  would  have  done  no  good,  suh,  believe 
me;  and  might  have  brought  us  into  much  trouble." 

Again  Thad  saw  him  send  that  expressive  glance 
his  way;  and  his  suspicions  concerning  Bob  having 
another  secret  which  he  had  not  as  yet  told,  received 
further  confirmation. 

"  This,  you  know,  fellows,"  remarked  Allan,  "  is 
the  way  the  Indians  communicated  in  the  old  days ; 
only  instead  of  writing  it  out  as  we  do,  they  used  to 
make  signs  that  stood  for  men,  camp-fires,  rivers, 
woods,  animals,  trails  and  such  things.  You  re- 
member, Thad  here  gave  us  some  talk  about  that 
awhile  back.  Now,  are  we  going  on  again,  since 
weVe  left  our  wonderful  message  for  Old  Phin?" 

"  Yes,  and  perhaps  we'd  better  keep  somewhat 
closer  together  than  we've  been  doing  up  to  now," 
the  scoutmaster  suggested. 

"  How'd  it  do  for  Giraffe  here  to  stay  behind,  and 
watch  to  see  if  that  feller  back  of  the  rock  pile  gets 
the  letter?"  Bumpus  proposed.  "After  we  turned 
that  bend  ahead  he  could  drop  down,  and  creep 
back.  Then,  after  he'd  seen  all  he  wanted,  why 
it  wouldn't  be  any  great  shake  for  such  a  long- 
legged  feller  to  overtake  the  rest  of  the  bunch." 

But  Giraffe  evidently  did  not  like  the  idea  of 
being  left  all  by  himself  after  that  fashion.  He 
looked  worried  as  he  waited  to  see  what  Thad  would 
say;  and  was  considerably  relieved  when  the  other 
shook  his  head,  remarking : 


62  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

"  No  need  of  that,  Number  Three.  It  wasn't  such 
a  bad  idea  though,  come  to  think  of  it,  and  does 
you  credit.  I'm  glad  to  see  that  you're  waking  up, 
and  beginning  to  work  your  brain  more.  But  that 
message  will  get  into  the  hands  of  Old  Phin,  all 
right,  there's  no  doubt  of  that." 

"  D'ye  reckon  he'll  take  our  word  for  it;  or  believe 
it's  only  one  more  clever  dodge  of  the  revenue  men 
to  get  him  when  he's  napping?  "  asked  Davy  Jones. 

The  scoutmaster  turned  to  Bob  White. 

"How  about  that,  Bob?"  he  asked. 

"  Old  Phin  is  narrow  minded,  as  you  can  easily 
understand,"  the  Southern  boy  replied.  "  Besides, 
he's  had  so  many  smart  dodges  played  on  him,  that 
he'll  never  believe  anybody's  word.  Now,  he  may 
make  up  his  mind  that  because  we're  only  boys  he 
neen't  be  afraid  we  expect  to  capture  him;  but  all 
the  same,  we  might  poke  around  here,  meaning  to 
destroy  his  Still,  suh.  You  can  depend  upon  it  that 
Old  Phin'll  never  make  friends  with  any  one  that 
wears  a  uniform.  That  stands  for  an  enemy  in  his 
eyes.  But  I'm  hopin'  suh,  that  he'll  just  conclude 
to  let  us  alone,  and  go  to  one  of  his  mountain  hide- 
outs, to  stay  till  we  leave  the  neighborhood." 

They  were  by  now  tramping  along  again.  Trying 
to  forget  the  ugly  part  of  the  affair,  Thad  was  pic- 
turing in  his  mirid  what  the  home  of  Reuben  Sparks 
might  be  like.  He  was  a  rich  man,  Bob  had  said, 
and  in  close  touch  with  the  moonshiners;  though 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  63 

the  Government  had  never  been  able  to  connect  him 
with  any  of  the  illicit  Stills  that  had  been  raided 
from  time  to  time  during  the  last  dozen  years.  And 
so  it  was  only  natural  to  believe  that  he  must  have 
surrounded  himself  with  some  of  the  comforts  of 
civilization,  while  remaining  in  this  wild  region. 
Words  let  fall  by  Bob  had  given  Thad  this  impres- 
sion; as  though  they  were  going  to  be  surprised 
when  the  home  of  little  Cousin  Bertha  was  come 
upon. 

"  I'd  like  to  have  a  little  talk  with  you,  Thad !  " 
The  scoutmaster  was  not  very  much  surprised 
when  he  heard  these  words,  and  realized  that  Bob 
White  had  caught  up  with  him  as  he  strode  along 
at  the  head  of  the  little  squad  of  boys  in  khaki. 

"  He  just  couldn't  hold  in  any  longer,"  was  whai 
Thad  whispered  to  himself ;  ^'  and  now  he's  bound 
to  let  down  the  bars  all  the  way,  so  somebody  will 
share  his  secret  with  him." 

Turning  upon  the  other,  he  said,  pleasantly: 
"  Why,  as  many  as  you  like.  Bob ;  what's  bother- 
ing you  now;  for  I've  seen  you  looking  my  way 
quite  some  time,  as  though  you  wanted  to  speak.     I 
guess  you'll  feel  better  when  you've  had  it  out." 

"  Perhaps  I  may,  suh,  though  I'm  ashamed  to 
have  kept  it  from  you  so  long,"  answered  the  South- 
ern boy,  shame- facedly.  "  Fact  is,  I  tried  to  de- 
ceive myself  into  thinking  that  it  couldn't  interest 
or  concern  any  of  my  chums.    But  now,  since  I've 


64  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

been  thinking  it  all  over,  and  weVe  run  across  Old 
Phin,  it  looks  different  to  me,  and  I'm  of  the  opinion 
I  had  ought  to  have  mentioned  this  before  I  took 
the  lot  of  you  down  into  these  danger  mountains !  " 
Thad  knew  then  that  it  could  be  no  trifling  thing 
that  would  agitate  the  other  as  this  seemed  to  do, 
and  he  steadied  himself  to  meet  the  disclosure. 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  65 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

BOB  CONFIDES  IN  THE  PATROL  LEADER. 

"  What  I  want  to  tell  you  about  is — my  father," 
said  Bob,  swallowing  something  that  seemed  to  be 
sticking  in  his  throat;  as  though  the  mere  mention 
of  his  dead  parent  had  the  power  to  affect  him  so. 

"  Yes  ?  "  Thad  said,  encouragingly,  wondering  at 
the  same  time  how  one  who  had  passed  to  the 
other  side  several  years  now,  could  have  any  sort  of 
connection  with  the  mission  of  the  scouts  to  this 
region. 

"  You'll  perhaps  understand,  suh,"  continued  Bob, 
getting  a  firmer  grip  on  himself;  "when  I  mention 
the  fact  that  my  father,  for  a  year  or  so  before  he 
was  taken,  had  filled  the  office  of  United  States 
Marshal  for  this  district." 

"Oh!"  exclaimed  Thad,  beginning  to  see  light 
now. 

"  He  was  induced  to  take  the  ofifice  by  the  Presi- 
dent himself,  who  was  a  personal  friend  of  my 
father,"  the  boy  went  on,  proudly ;  "  and  having 
given  his  word,  nothing  could  make  him  back  out. 


66  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

Up  to  then  we  had  Hved  at  peace  with  everybody  in 
these  mountains;  but  of  course  that  was  bound  to 
come  to  an  end  after  he  had  sworn  to  do  his  duty; 
which  was  to  send  out  his  agents  to  destroy  all  the 
secret  Stills,  and  bring  in  the  law  breakers,  if  they 
could  be  found." 

"  He  must  soon  have  had  the  enmity  of  Old  Phin, 
and  every  other  moonshiner  about  the  Big  Smokies," 
Thad  remarked,  the  other  having  paused,  as  though 
to  give  him  a  chance  to  express  an  opinion. 

"  That  is  just  what  happened,  suh,"  Bob  went  on, 
hurriedly,  as,  having  broken  the  ice,  he  wanted  to 
get  through  as  speedily  as  possible.  "  After  he  had 
led  several  successful  raids  in  person,  the  moun- 
taineers saw  that  they  had  a  different  man  to  deal 
with  from  the  other  old  marshal.  They  sent  him 
terrible  warnings  of  what  was  going  to  happen  to 
him  if  he  kept  up  his  work;  but  my  father  was  a 
Quail ;  and  he  didn't  know  the  meanin'  of  the  word 
fear,  suh." 

"  Were  you  and  your  mother  living  near  here  all 
that  time.  Bob  ?  "  asked  the  scoutmaster.  "  Because, 
I  should  have  thought  she  might  have  been  worried 
for  fear  some  of  those  desperate  men  tried  to  stop 
your  father's  work  by  burning  down  his  home,  or 
doing  something  like  that  ?  " 

"  There  were  threats  made,  suh,  to  that  effect ; 
and  my  father  moved  his  family  to  Asheville  to 
feel  that  we  would  be  all  safe.    Then  there  came  a 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  67 

dreadful  day  for  us,  when  my  father  never  came 
back,  after  he  had  gone  into  these  mountains  to  ar- 
rest another  batch  of  moonshiners,  whose  Still  had 
been  located.  One  of  the  men  who  had  accompanied 
him  told  us  he  had  seen  him  shot  down.  They  were 
surrounded  by  bushwhackers,  and  the  rifles  were 
popping  all  about,  so  they  had  to  leave  him  there. 
He  was  surely  dead,  they  claimed,  before  they  fled 
from  the  spot,  and  of  course,  suh,  they  could  not 
burden  themselves  with  his  body." 

Again  Bob  White  paused  to  gulp  down  the  ob- 
stacle in  his  throat. 

"  Now,  you  are  wondering,  suh,  how  it  happened 
that  when  we  came  to  Cranford  there  was  a  gentle- 
man with  us  who  was  called  Mr.  Quail,  and  sup- 
posed to  be  my  father.  That  was  my  father's  twin 
brother,  living  in  Philadelphia.  He  kindly  offered 
to  stay  with  my  mother,  who  never  goes  out  at  all, 
until  we  became  settled.  Her  mother,  my  grand- 
mother, had  left  me  a  heap  of  stock  in  the  bank  and 
mills  of  Cranford;  and  as  it  was  very  unpleasant 
for  my  mother  down  this  aways,  after  father  went, 
she  had  determined  to  locate  up  yondah." 

"  And  does  she  know  about  you  coming  down 
here?"  asked  Thad,  suspiciously,  as  if  he  feared 
that  the  other  might  have  deceived  the  only  parent 
he  had  left;  this  bringing  a  tragedy  of  the  grim 
mountains  so  close  home  to  them  had  given  the 
scout  leader  considerable  of  a  thrill,  for  after  all. 


68  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

despite  his  courage  and  grit,  Thad  was  only  a  boy. 

Bob  drew  himself  up  proudly,  and  his  black  eyes 
flashed. 

"  I  would  sooner  cut  off  my  right  hand,  suh,  than 
deceive  my  mother,"  he  said.  "  And,  so  you  may 
understand  the  whole  thing,  I  must  tell  you  what  a 
strange  longin'  Tve  been  hugging  to  my  heart  these 
two  years  back.  It  is  this.  What  if,  after  all,  my 
father  was  not  dead  at  the  time  his  men  saw  him 
fall;  what  if  these  moonshiners  have  kept  him  a 
prisoner  somewhere  in  these  mountains  all  this 
while,  meanin'  to  punish  him  because  he  had  given 
them  all  so  much  trouble !  " 

"  That's  a  stunning  shock  you've  given  me,  Bob," 
said  Thad,  drawing  a  long  breath ;  "  but  see  here,  is 
it  just  a  wild  wish  to  have  it  so;  or  have  you  any 
reason  to  believe  such  a  thing;  any  foundation  for 
the  theory,  in  fact?  " 

"  ni  tell  you,  suh,"  Bob  went  on,  feverishly.  ''  A 
man  came  to  me  one  day,  and  said  he  had  been  sent 
by  one  of  the  revenues  who  had  been  with  my  father 
that  sad  time,  to  tell  me  what  he  had  picked  up  in 
the  mountains.  There  were  rumors  going  around 
that  somewhere  deep  in  the  mountains,  at  one  of  the 
secret  Stills,  the  moonshiners  kept  a  prisoner  at 
work.  Some  said  it  must  be  one  of  the  revenue  men 
who  had  disappeared;  and  that  the  moonshiners 
were  bent  on  making  him  work  up  the  mash,  as  a 
sort  of  punishment  for  having  done  them  so  much 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  69 

damage  when  he  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Govern- 
ment." 

"I  see ;  and  of  course  you  jumped  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  it  might  be  your  own  father,  alive  and 
well,  though  held  a  prisoner  of  the  moonshiners?  '^ 

"  Both  my  mother  and  myself  believed  there 
might  be  just  a  little  chance  that  way.  She  was  in 
bad  health,  and  put  it  all  in  my  hands.  We  have 
never  said  a  word  about  it  to  anybody  in  Cranford. 
While  I  have  been  going  to  school  with  the  rest  of 
the  boys  in  Cranford,  all  the  time  I  was  in  corre- 
spondence with  one  of  the  Government  revenue 
agents,  and  paying  him  to  be  on  the  constant  watch 
for  any  positive  signs.  He  died  six  months  ago, 
and  just  when  he  had  begun  to  think  he  was  getting 
on  a  warm  scent" 

"  I  see,"  said  Thad,  as  the  other  paused,  over- 
come with  emotion ;  "  and  ever  since  then  you've 
been  longing  to  get  down  here  again,  to  find  out  for 
yourself  if  it  could  be  true.  I  don't  blame  you  the 
least  bit.  Bob.  And  I  only  hope  that  you'll  be  able 
to  learn  the  truth,  even  if  it  dashes  all  your  hopes. 
Whatever  we  can  do  to  help,  you  can  coimt  on. 
Scouts  have  to  be  like  brothers,  you  know.  It's  a 
part  of  our  regulations  to  help  any  one  in  trouble; 
and  that  applies  stronger  than  ever  when  it's  a  fel- 
low scout." 

"  Oh !  thank  you,  Thad ! "  exclaimed  the  warm- 
hearted Southern  lad,  as  he  squeezed  the  hand  of 


irO  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

his  companion  almost  fiercely.  "  I  had  no  right  to 
influence  you  to  come  down  here.  It  is  a  dangerous 
place.  Right  now  I  ought  to  beg  you  and  the  rest 
to  back  out,  and  leave  me  to  fight  my  battles  alone. 
But  somehow  I  just  can't  find  the  grit  to  do  that. 
I  reckon,  suh,  I'm  too  selfish.  I'm  right  ashamed  of 
myself  at  this  minute  to  feel  such  satisfaction  in 
the  grip  of  your  hand." 

"Of  course,"  continued  wise  Thad,  "  this  old 
moonshiner,  Phin  Dady,  might  still  have  it  in  for 
you,  as  one  of  the  Quail  family." 

"  As  far  as  that  is  concerned,  suh,  I'm  not  bother- 
ing my  head,  I  assuah  you.  I'd  just  as  lief  face  Old 
Phin,  and  snap  my  fingers  under  his  nose.  My  idea 
in  wanting  to  keep  him  from  seeing  me  was  along 
another  line,  suh.  He  would  be  apt  to  think  *  like 
father,  like  son ; '  and  that  I  had  hired  out  to  the 
Government  to  find  where  his  Still  lay,  so  it  could 
be  raided.  No  man  has  ever  done  that;  Old  Phin 
declares  they  never  will." 

"If  these  mountaineers  begin  to  get  bothersome 
it  might  interfere  some  with  that  other  little  affair 
you  spoke  about?"  suggested  Thad,  as  they  con- 
tinued to  walk  on  in  company. 

"  That's  what  I'm  afraid  of,  suh,"  replied  Bob 
White ;  "  but  I'm  hoping  for  the  best." 

Some  of  the  others  happening  to  push  up  about 
that  time  brought  the  confidential  conversation  to  a 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  71 

close.      But   surely   the   young   scout   leader   had 
plenty  to  ponder  over  as  he  walked  on. 

The  hike  through  the  Blue  Ridge,  wHich  they  had 
looked  forward  to  simply  as  a  test  of  endurance, 
and  to  develop  their  knowledge  of  woodcraft,  threat- 
ened to  turn  into  a  tragic  affair.  At  least,  it  was  no 
child's  play;  and  if  they  came  out  of  it  without  any 
serious  accident  happening  to  any  of  their  number, 
they  would  be  deserving  of  great  credit. 

But  if  Thad  and  Bob  White  were  in  a  serious 
frame  of  mind,  the  same  could  hardly  be  said  of 
several  other  members  of  the  patrol.  Giraffe,  Step 
Hen  and  Bumpus  seemed  to  be  fairly  bubbling  over 
with  good  humor.  Some  boys  can  no  more  control 
their  spirits  than  they  can  their  appetites. 

As  usual  Step  Hen  suddenly  discovered,  while 
they  were  halting  for  a  breathing  spell,  that  he  was 
minus  something.  The  evil  spirits  had  evidently 
been  at  work  again,  when  he  was  off  his  guard,  and 
succeeded  in  abstracting  part  of  his  personal  prop- 
erty. It  really  was  a  shame  how  they  beset  that  un- 
lucky fellow. 

"If  it  don't  just  beat  the  Dutch  what  happens  to 
me? ''  he  was  heard  to  loudly  wail,  looking  around 
him  in  a  helpless  way. 

"What's  the  matter  now,  Step  Hen?"  asked 
Allan;  although  he  knew  full  well  what  sort  of  an 
answer  he  must  receive. 


72  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

"  They've  been  and  done  it  some  more,"  replied 
the  disturbed  scout,  helplessly. 

The  trouble  was,  that  whenever  he  missed  any- 
thing Step  Hen  always  ran  around  looking  in  all 
the  places  that  no  sensible  person  would  ever  dream 
of  examining.  When  Giraffe  declared  that  he  was 
like  an  old  hen  with  its  head  taken  off,  it  just  about 
fitted  the  case. 

"What's  gone  this  time?"  continued  the  boy 
from  Maine,  with  a  smile  at  the  way  Step  Hen  was 
turning  over  small  stones,  and  stirring  the  leaves 
with  his  foot,  as  if  he  really  expected  a  miracle  to 
be  wrought,  and  to  find  a  bulky  object  that  way. 

"  That  little  kodak  I  fetched  along ;  you  know  I 
had  it  wrapped  so  carefully  in  a  waterproof  cloth, 
and  tied  with  top  cord.  Now  it's  gone!  Needn't 
spring  that  old  story  on  me,  and  say  I  was  careless. 
P'raps  I  have  been  a  few  times;  but  right  now  I'm 
dead  sure  the  fault  ain't  mine.  Somebody's  playing 
a  joke  on  me.  Mind,  I  ain't  mentioning  no  names; 
but  I've  got  my  suspicions." 

He  looked  hard  at  Giraffe,  and  the  accusation 
could  hardly  have  been  given  in  plainer  language 
than  that.  But  Giraffe  was  used  to  being  unjustly 
accused.  There  were  occasions  when  he  did  seize 
upon  a  golden  opportunity  to  hide  something  be- 
longing to  his  comrade,  because  it  had  been  left 
carelessly  around;  and  Giraffe  believed  it  a  part  of 
his  duty  to  break  the  other  of  such  shiftless  habits. 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  TS 

But  on  this  occasion  he  held  up  both  hands,  declar- 
ing solemnly: 

"  Give  you  my  word  for  it  I  never  touched  any 
camera.  This  time  you've  either  been  and  dropped 
it  on  the  road;  or  else  the  Gold  Dust  Twins  have 
nabbed  it  on  you." 

Just  then  Bumpus,  who  had  been  wandering  aim- 
lessly about  after  drinking  at  the  cooling  waters  of 
the  little  spring  that  had  been  the  main  cause  of  this 
temporary  halt  in  the  march,  gave  utterance  to  a 
loud  exclamation. 

He  had  tripped  over  something  that  lay  in  the 
grass,  and  a  splash  announced  that  with  his  usual 
hard  luck  the  fat  boy  had  managed  to  go  headlong 
into  the  spring.  Scrambling  out,  with  the  water 
streaming  from  his  red  face,  he  turned  indignantly 
on  the  balance  of  the  patrol,  now  convulsed  with 
laughter. 

"  What  sort  of — horse  play  d'ye  call  that — I'd 
like  to  know  ? "  he  sputtered,  trying  to  wipe  his 
streaming  face  with  a  handkerchief  that  looked  far 
too  small  for  the  task.  "  Can't  a  feller — just  stroll 
around  camp — without  some  silly  putting  out  a  foot, 
and  tripping  him  up  ?    Tell  me  that,  now  ?  " 

"  I'm  beginning  to  think  we  must  have  some  sort 
of  a  hoodoo  along  with  us,"  remarked  Smithy,  anx- 
iously. "  All  sorts  of  things  seem  to  be  happening, 
and  in  the  most  mysterious  \vay  possible.  We  all 
know  that  there  wasn't  a  single  fellow  anywhere 


74  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

near  Bumpus  when  he  pitched  forward.  Yet  he  says 
somebody  put  out  a  foot,  and  he  tripped  over  it. 
I  think  it  a  remarkable  phenomenon,  for  a  fact,  and 
worth  investigating." 

"  Well,  somethin'  did  trip  me,  and  that's  sure," 
grumbled  the  other,  possibly  thinking  that  he  had 
been  too  sweeping  in  his  accusation. 

"  Suppose  you  look  in  that  bunch  of  grass,  and 
find  out  if  the  little  evil  spirit  that's  playing  all  these 
pranks  on  you  is  lying  there  ? "  suggested  Thad, 
with  a  twinkle  in  his  eye,  as  though  he  could  give  a 
pretty  shrewd  guess  what  the  result  of  the  said  ex- 
ploration would  turn  out  to  be. 

So  Bumpus,  always  willing  to  oblige,  especially 
since  his  own  curiosity  must  have  been  aroused,  pro- 
ceeded forthwith  to  get  down  on  his  hands  and 
knees,  and  begin  an  examination  of  the  tangle  in 
question. 

Half  a  minute  later  he  gave  a  loud  cry.  At  the 
same  time  he  was  seen  to  hold  up  some  strange  black 
object. 

"  Look !  Bumpus  has  caught  his  little  evil  gen- 
ius !  "  cried  Giraffe.  "  And  ain't  it  a  hard  lookin' 
subject  though.  Caught  him  right  by  the  ankle, 
and  threw  him  straight  into  our  spring.  Lucky  we'd 
had  all  the  drink  we  wanted  before  he  started  to 
wash  there ! " 

"Why,  blessed  if  it  ain't  my  kodak!  "  ejaculated 
Step  Hen  faintly,  as  though  it  shocked  him  to  think 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  75 

how  his  lost  camera  should  have  been  lying  there  in 
all  that  tangle  of  grass,  where  it  had  undoubtedly 
fallen  as  he  prepared  to  take  his  turn  bending  over 
the  water  hole. 

Of  course  everybody  laughed,  for  they  could  guess 
what  had  happened.  Step  Hen's  little  failings  were 
an  everyday  occurrence.  As  Giraffe  had  often  de- 
clared, the  careless  one  would  have  long  since  lost 
his  head  had  not  a  kind  Nature  secured  it  to  his 
body. 

The  march  was  resumed,  with  Thad  lecturing 
Step  Hen  on  his  prevailing  sin;  and  as  usual  Step 
Hen  solemnly  promising  to  be  more  careful  the  next 
time.  But  he  had  a  very  slippery  mind,  and  the 
chances  were  that  before  nightfall  he  would  be  up 
to  his  old  tricks  again,  accusing  the  rest  of  playing  a 
prank  by  hiding  some  of  his  possessions. 

"  There's  a  man  sitting  on  that  rock  up  there, 
watching  us !  "  said  Davy  Jones,  in  a  tone  that 
thrilled  them  all. 

"  A  regular  mountaineer  too,"  added  Smithy. 
"  Just  as  I've  pictured  them  often,  with  butternut 
jean  trousers,  a  ragged  woolen  shirt  open  at  the 
neck,  and  an  old  hat  on  his  frowsy  head.  Boys,  he 
seems  to  have  a  gun  in  his  possession,  too." 

They  were  a  little  uneasy  as  they  passed  along; 
but  the  lone  man  seemed  to  simply  watch  the  squad 
of  uniformed  scouts  without  making  any  hostile 
move. 


76  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

"  Chances  are/'  remarked  Davy  Jones,  after  they 
lost  sight  of  the  man ;  ''  he  was  some  sort  of  vidette 
or  sentry,  posted  up  there  to  keep  an  eye  on  the  trail ; 
and  if  any  suspicious  characters  came  along,  to  send 
word  to  the  other  moonshiners.  I  understand  they 
can  telegraph  all  right  without  the  aid  of  instru- 
ments, or  even  the  latest  wireless  outfit.  How  about 
that,  Bob?" 

"  Yes,  it  is  so,"  replied  the  Southern  boy.  "  They 
do  it  by  making  smokes;  or  sometimes  by  sounds 
that  are  passed  along  from  one  station  to  another. 
It's  queer  how  fast  a  message  can  be  relayed  in  that 
way." 

"WeU,"  remarked  Thad,  "that's  the  method 
used  by  blacks  in  Africa;  and  they  do  say  they  can 
send  news  of  a  battle  faster  than  white  men  can  get 
it  along  by  relays  of  telegraph  stations,  with  breaks 
where  a  carrier  has  to  be  used." 

"  Are  we  getting  anywhere  close  to  the  place  you 
said  old  Reuben  lived  at,  Bob?  "  asked  Bumpus,  who 
was  showing  signs  of  being  tired. 

"  Another  hour  will  take  us  to  where  we  can  look 
across  the  wonderful  little  valley  and  see  the  place," 
Bob  answered.  "  You  will  all  be  surprised,  for  no- 
body would  ever  think  so  fine  a  house  could  be  found 
among  these  wild  mountains;  but  as  I  told  you  be- 
fore, Reuben  Sparks  seems  never  to  have  been  mo- 
lested by  the  moonshiners.  Most  people  believe  he 
is  a  secret  partner  in  the  business." 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  77 

"  Say,  would  you  look  yonder,  where  that  road 
comes  around  the  spur  back  of  us ;  to  think  of  see- 
ing a  real  buggy  and  a  flesh  and  blood  horse,  and 
back  of  the  animal  a  gentleman  and  lady !  I'm  sure 
dreaming !  "  remarked  Giraffe,  just  then. 

"  Not  a  bit  of  it  you  ain't,  because  I  see  them  my- 
self,*' added  Step  Hen,  eagerly. 

"  And  unless  my  eyes  deceive  me,  we've  met  that 
gentleman  before,"  said  Allan. 

"  Yes,"  remarked  Bob,  with  trembling  voice,  "  if  s 
Reuben  Sparks;  and  that  must  be  my  little  cousin. 
Bertha!'' 


78  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 


CHAPTER  IX. 

OPENING  COMMUNICATIONS. 

It  was  the  most  natural  thing  in  the  world  for  the 
detachment  of  scouts  to  come  to  a  halt  when  they 
discovered  the  vehicle  coming  up  in  their  rear.  In 
the  midst  of  such  wild  surroundings  it  was  indeed 
quite  a  surprise  to  discover  anything  so  civilized. 
So  they  lined  up  on  either  side  of  the  road,  resting 
on  the  stout  staves  which  all  of  them  carried  as  a 
means  of  assistance  in  their  mountain  climbing;  just 
as  tourists  in  the  Alps  do  when  ascending  some  peak. 

Thad  noticed  how  quickly  Bob  White  pulled  his 
broad-brimmed  campaign  hat  down  over  his  eyes; 
and  at  the  same  time  managed  to  slip  partly  behind 
one  of  his  companions.  It  would  interfere  some- 
what with  the  cherished  plans  of  the  boy,  should 
Reuben  Sparks  recognize  him ;  and  this  was  a  catas- 
trophe which  Bob  certainly  wished  to  avoid,  if  pos- 
sible. 

The  vehicle  came  on,  and  apparently  the  man 
niust  be  telling  his  companion  how  he  had  met  these 
young  fellows  before,  for  she  was  looking  ahead 


IN  THE  BLUE  KIDGE  79 

with  a  great  deal  of  interest  and  curiosity;  though 
hardly  dreaming  that  her  cousin  could  be  among 
the  lads,  who  were  clad  in  neat  khaki  uniforms,  with 
puttees  for  leggings,  and  the  well-known  hats  that 
distinguish  Boy  Scouts  in  every  clime  under  the  sun. 

Just  as  Thad  had  expected  would  be  the  case, 
Reuben  Sparks  drew  in  his  horse  as  he  arrived  in 
the  midst  of  the  scouts.  Evidently  he  wanted  to 
have  a  few  minutes'  talk  with  them;  and  allow  the 
girl  a  chance  to  catch  for  herself  a  fleeting  glimpse 
of  that  outside  world  of  which  she  knew  so  little. 

"  How  are  you,  boys  ? "  remarked  the  driver  of 
the  horse. 

"  Pretty  fairly,  sir,"  replied  Thad,  anxious  to 
keep  the  attention  of  the  other  directed  toward  him- 
self as  much  as  possible,  because  of  Bob's  desire  to 
remain  unnoticed  in  the  background.  We  haven't 
been  used  to  mountain  work;  but  it's  fine  exercise, 
and  our  muscles  are  getting  in  shape  by  degrees." 

Thad  had  before  now,  of  course,  flung  a  look  at 
the  girl  who  was  sitting  beside  Reuben  Sparks.  He 
was  more  interested  because  of  the  fact  that  he 
knew  her  to  be  the  little  Cousin  Bertha,  of  whom 
Bob  White  had  been  telling  him. 

She  was  a  pretty  little  girl  too,  Thad  could  see 
that ;  and  he  also  thought  there  was  a  wistful  expres- 
sion on  her  delicate  face.  If,  as  Bob  declared. 
Bertha  was  really  a  prisoner  in  the  care  of  a  cruel 
guardian,  when  her  whole  soul  longed  to  be  away 


80  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

from  these  wild  mountains,  and  in  the  haunts  of 
civilization,  that  expression  would  be  easily  under- 
stood. 

And  right  then  and  there  Thad  Brewster  found 
himself  siding  with  his  chum  Bob  White  more  than 
ever.  He  felt  a  hope  beginning  to  grow  strong 
within  his  heart  that  some  way  might  be  discovered 
whereby  Bertha  could  be  taken  from  the  Blue  Ridge, 
which  country  she  detested,  and  transplanted  to  that 
Northern  town  where  lived  her  own  flesh  and  blood 
relatives,  who  yearned  to  care  for  her  tenderly,  if 
only  the  law  would  allow. 

Thad  saAV  that  Bob  was  no  longer  in  the  same 
place.  The  scouts  had  moved  forward  a  little,  to 
cluster  around  the  vehicle,  while  their  leader  held 
conversation  with  the  gentleman.  And  Bob  was 
gradually  making  his  way  around  so  as  to  come  on 
the  other  side,  where  he  might  in  some  way  attract 
the  attention  of  the  little  maid  without  Reuben  see- 
ing him. 

It  was  plain  to  be  seen  that  he  hoped  to  seize 
upon  this  golden  opportunity  to  open  communi- 
cations with  Bertha.  Thad,  while  he  continued  to 
talk  with  Reuben,  and  interest  him  more  or  less  in 
the  object  of  a  hike  on  the  part  of  Boy  Scouts,  kept 
one  eye  in  the  direction  of  Bob  White. 

He  saw  the  other  take  off  his  campaign  hat,  and 
wave  it  up  and  down  with  a  movement  that  of 
course   attracted   the   attention   of   the   girl.      She 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  81 

started  violently  as  she  saw  that  well-known  face  of 
her  cousin,  of  whom  she  had  been  so  fond  ever  since 
she  was  a  little  tot. 

Wise  Bob  instantly  placed  a  warning  finger  on  his 
lips,  and  the  girl  immediately  turned  her  face  the 
other  way,  while  that  campaign  hat  was  drawn  fur- 
ther down  than  ever  over  the  boy's  face.  So  that 
when  Reuben  glanced  round,  as  if  wondering  what 
had  caused  his  ward  to  give  such  a  violent  start,  he 
saw  nothing  suspicious  in  the  boy  who  was  ap- 
parently bending  over,  fastening  his  shoestring. 

Of  course  Reuben  Sparks  knew  more  or  less  about 
Boy  Scouts,  even  though  he  may  never  have  had  the 
opportunity  of  meeting  any  of  the  great  organiza- 
tion up  to  this  time.  No  one  who  had  the  ability  to 
read  the  papers  could  be  without  that  knowledge. 
And  Thad  made  it  a  point  to  mention  any  number 
of  interesting  features  connected  with  their  work, 
that  rather  opened  his  eyes,  and  kept  him  asking  for 
more  information. 

Like  many  other  people,  Reuben  Sparks  had  im- 
agined that  the  movement  had  to  do  with  drilling 
American  boys,  so  that  they  could  become  soldiers 
as  they  grew  up.  He  now  learned,  to  his  surprise, 
that  there  never  could  be  a  greater  mistake.  Instead 
of  teaching  boys  to  fight,  the  principles  of  the  or- 
ganization tend  toward  peace.  The  main  thing  ad- 
vanced is  to  make  boys  more  manly,  self-reliant, 
courteous,   brave,   self-sacrificing,    forgetting   their 


82  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

own  comfort  when  they  can  do  a  good  deed,  and 
relieve  distress ;  take  care  of  themselves  when  in  the 
woods;  and  perhaps  save  the  life  of  a  comrade, 
should  he  be  wounded  by  a  carelessly  used  hatchet; 
or  come  near  drowning. 

No  wonder  then  that  Reuben  Sparks  found  him- 
self intensely  interested  in  what  Thad  was  telling 
him.  His  eyes  were  being  opened  to  facts  that  he 
had  never  dreamed  could  be  connected  with  a  simple 
organization  of  growing  lads.  And  many  another 
who  has  scoffed  at  the  silly  idea  of  trying  to  improve 
upon  the  breed  of  American  boys,  has  been  stag- 
gered when  brought  face  to  face  with  many  wonder- 
ful results  that  have  already  sprung  from  this  great- 
est of  all  upward  movements. 

Thad  saw  after  a  bit  that  his  object  had  been  ac- 
complished. Bob  White  had  not  been  so  busy  tying 
his  shoestring  as  Reuben  imagined.  On  the  con- 
trary he  was  scribbling  something  on  a  scrap  of 
paper,  which  he  held  doubled  up  in  his  hand  when  he 
worked  his  way  to  the  rear  of  the  vehicle. 

Undoubtedly  the  little  missy  who  sat  there  so  de- 
murely beside  Reuben  must  have  been  slily  watch- 
ing his  actions.  And  moreover,  she  surely  divined 
what  Bob  meant  to  do;  for  as  Thad  watched,  he 
saw  her  left  hand,  being  the  one  further  away  from 
her  guardian,  quietly  slip  back,  until  it  came  within 
easy  touching  distance  of  the  scout  who  had  saun- 
tered up  there. 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  83 

No  doubt  impulsive  Bob  must  have  pressed  that 
little  hand  even  as  he  passed  his  note  into  its  pos- 
session; for  as  he  told  Thad,  he  had  always  loved 
his  small  cousin  like  a  sister. 

Fearing  detection,  the  boy  quickly  moved  away; 
and  it  was  fortunate  he  did,  since  Reuben  in  the 
midst  of  his  questions  glanced  suspiciously  around, 
a  minute  later. 

There  was  now  no  longer  any  reason  for  detain- 
ing the  owner  of  the  vehicle;  and  Thad's  eagerness 
in  answering  questions  and  giving  information 
slackened. 

Truth  to  tell,  he  was  not  at  all  favorably  im- 
pressed with  the  looks  of  the  gentleman.  Reuben 
had  keen,  rat-like  eyes,  that  seemed  to  burn  a  hole 
in  one  when  they  became  focused.  There  was  con- 
stant suspicion  in  his  manner,  as  though  with  so 
many  secrets  to  hide,  he  had  always  to  be  on  guard. 
And  besides,  Thad  believed  that  Bob  must  have 
struck  a  true  chord  when  he  declared  the  other  to 
be  cruel  and  unscrupulous  by  nature. 

Perhaps  he  might  be  plotting  to  secure  the  little 
inheritance  left  to  the  child  by  her  father.  It 
seemed  almost  beyond  belief  that  any  one  could  be 
so  mean  as  to  want  to  injure  so  sweet  looking  a  little 
girl  as  Bertha;  but  then,  Old  Reuben  worshipped 
gold,  and  when  a  man  becomes  a  miser  he  hesitates 
at  few  things  in  order  to  add  to  his  stores. 

But  however  the  gentleman  might  have  been  in- 


84  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

terested  in  learning  more  about  the  ways  of  Boy 
Scouts,  Thad  took  particular  notice  that  he  did  not 
invite  the  hiking  Silver  Fox  Patrol  to  stop  a  day  or 
so  with  him  at  his  mountain  home. 

It  might  have  been  just  natural  meanness  that 
caused  this,  since  eight  healthy  young  appetites 
would  eat  up  all  in  his  larder.  But  then  again,  there 
may  have  been  other  reasons  for  the  lack  of  South- 
ern hospitality.  Possibly  Reuben  did  not  care  to 
have  inquisitive  strangers  prowling  about  his  place. 
He  may  have  occasional  visitors,  who  brought  car- 
goes which  he  would  not  want  other  eyes  to  see. 

The  boys  fell  in  shortly  after  the  vehicle  had  van- 
ished around  a  bend  of  the  road  ahead;  and  the 
march  was  once  more  resumed. 

Of  course  Bob  took  the  earliest  opportunity  to 
forge  alongside  of  Thad.  He  was  feverishly  ex- 
cited, so  that  his  black  eyes  sparkled,  and  his  breath 
came  faster  than  usual. 

"  What  did  you  think  of  him,  Thad?  "  he  asked, 
the  first  thing. 

"  I  must  say  I  don't  just  like  his  looks; ''  replied 
the  other ;  "  but  your  little  cousin  is  everything  you 
said  she  was.     But  Bob,  she  doesn't  look  happy !  ** 

"  You  could  see  that  too,  could  you,  suh  ?  "  ex- 
claimed the  other,  gritting  his  teeth  angrily.  "  I 
know  he  treats  her  badly.  She  is  thinner  in  the 
cheeks  than  she  was  two  years  ago,  though  taller 
some.     And  Thad,  there's  a  look  in  her  eyes  that 


IN  THE  BLUE  KIDGE  85 

hurts  me.  I'm  glad  I  wrote  what  I  did  in  that  little 
note  I  slipped  in  her  hand.  Later  on  I'm  going  to 
tell  you  about  it.  But  oh !  it  looks  like  there  was  a 
slim  chance  to  do  anything  for  poor  little  Bertha.'* 

Thad  hardly  knew  how  to  console  his  chum. 
Boy-like  he  was  ready  to  promise  an3rthing  that  lay 
in  his  power. 

"  Well,  there  are  eight  of  us,  and  that's  not  as 
bad  as  being  here  alone,"  he  suggested,  with  a  cheer- 
ing pat  of  his  hand  on  the  other's  shoulder. 

"  You'll  never  know  how  much  comfort  I  get  out 
of  that,  Thad,"  the  Southern  boy  went  on  to  say,  in 
a  broken  voice.  "  You  see,  I've  been  believing  for  a 
long  time  that  there  must  have  been  something 
crooked  about  the  way  Reuben  Sparks  came  into 
possession  of  Bertha,  and  her  property.  But  how 
to  prove  it,  when  my  father  failed,  is  what  gets  me 
now.  But  I'm  full  of  hope;  and  what  you  keep 
saying  gives  me  a  heap  of  solid  comfort.  I'm  going 
to  try  and  learn  the  truth  while  I'm  down  here ;  and 
take  her  away  from  that  man,  if  it  can  be  done. 
I'm  only  a  boy,  and  he's  a  cold  scheming  man;  but 
all  the  same,  Thad,  something  inside  here  seems  to 
tell  me  my  visit  to  the  Old  Blue  Ridge  isn't  going 
to  be  useless." 

Bob  White  seemed  to  be  sensibly  encouraged  after 
his  little  chat  with  the  patrol  leader;  for  when  he 
dropped  back  among  the  rest  of  the  scouts  he  had 
allowed  a  winning  smile  to  creep  ove*-  his  dark, 
proud,  handsome  face. 


86  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  VOICE  OF  THE  SILVER  FOX  PATROL. 

"  We're  going  to  pitch  our  camp  right  here, 
boys!  "  said  the  scout  leader,  some  time  later;  "  and 
remember,  there's  to  be  no  shouting  from  this  time 
on.  We're  in  the  enemy's  country,  and  must  ob- 
serve the  rules  of  caution." 

"  Oh!  ain't  I  glad  though,"  sighed  Bumpus,  who 
had  been  busily  engaged  between  wiping  his  per- 
spiring brow,  and  avoiding  stumbles  over  obstacles 
that  seemed  to  take  particular  delight  in  getting  in 
his  way,  he  thought. 

"  But  I  hope  you're  not  going  so  far,  Thad,  as 
to  keep  us  from  having  our  regular  camp-fire?  "  re- 
marked Giraffe.  "  Without  that,  it'd  be  a  sad  busi- 
ness, I'm  thinking.  And  what's  supper,  without  a 
cup  of  coffee?  " 

Thad  had  been  talking  again  with  Bob  White; 
iand  evidently  the  boy  who  was  acquainted  with  the 
locality  must  have  posted  the  patrol  leader  regard- 
ing things. 

"  Oh !  we  don't  expect  to  do  without  that,  make 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  87 

your  mind  easy,  Number  Six/'  he  replied,  with  a 
laugh,  knowing  what  a  weakness  Giraffe  had  in  the 
line  of  eating;  though  it  seemed  to  do  him  little 
good,  since  he  was  as  "  thin  as  a  rail,"  plump  little 
Bumpus  used  to  declare. 

With  various  exclamations  of  satisfaction  the 
weary  boys  tossed  their  burdens  aside,  and  followed 
by  throwing  themselves  on  the  ground.  After  a 
short  rest,  of  course  preparations  for  passing  the 
night  would  be  in  order ;  but  a  little  breathing  spell, 
jirst  of  all,  was  in  order. 

Thad  walked  away,  in  company  with  Allan  and 
Bob  White. 

"  Now,  what  in  the  wide  world  d'ye  think  they're 
going  to  do?  "  demanded  Step  Hen,  when  the  three 
had  vanished  from  sight  among  the  brush  that  lay 
around. 

"  There  you  go,"  broke  out  Bumpus,  "  as  curious 
as  any  old  maid  in  all  Cranford,  always  wantin'  to 
know  the  reason  why.  A  pretty  scout  you'll  make. 
Step  Hen;  and  it'll  be  a  long  time  before  you  win 
any  medals,  or  pass  an  exam,  for  the  proud  position 
of  a  first-class  scout.  But  I  wonder  what  they  do 
mean  to  do  ?  " 

The  others  laughed  at  this. 

"  After  this,  Bumpus,  take  the  moat  out  of  your 
own  eye  before  you  try  and  get  a  fence  rail  from 
mine.  But  they're  up  to  some  dodge,  take  it  from 
me.    And  it'll  be  mean  if  they  don't  let  us  into  the 


88  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

deal,  sooner  or  later,"  and  Step  Hen  shook  his  head 
dismally  as  he  spoke;  for  he  was  most  unhappy 
when  he  believed  there  was  anything  going  on  with- 
out his  being  told  all  about  it. 

''  Great  country  this,"  remarked  Smithy,  lying 
there  on  his  back,  and  looking  up  at  the  lofty  peaks 
that  were  bathed  in  the  glow  of  the  setting  sun. 
"  About  as  wild  as  anything  I  ever  saw.  Don't 
surprise  me  to  know  that  the  men  who  were  born 
and  brought  up  here  can  defy  the  clumsy  officers 
of  the  Government,  when  they  attempt  to  capture 
them.  In  my  humble  opinion  they'll  just  keep  on 
making  that  moonshine  stuff  here  in  the  Big  Smokies 
until  the  year  three  thousand,  if  the  Washington 
people  hold  that  big  tax  on  the  real  brand,  so  as  to 
make  it  worth  while." 

"  It  sure  is  some  ragged,"  remarked  Davy  Jones, 
yawning;  for  Davy  did  not  happen  to  be  possessed 
of  a  soul  that  could  admire  the  grandeur  of  any 
rough  scenery;  and  only  thought  what  a  nuisance 
it  was  to  have  to  do  so  much  climbing  all  the  while. 

"  Hold  on  there,  Step  Hen,"  exclaimed  Giraffe, 
as  the  other  started  to  collect  a  handful  of  small 
sticks ;  "  don't  you  dare  think  of  starting  that  fire. 
That's  my  particular  job;  the  patrol  leader  gave  it 
over  to  me,  you  understand." 

"  Just  to  keep  you  good,"  sneered  Step  Hen, 
throwing  the  sticks  down  again.  "  You  keep  on 
itching  to  make  fires  so  much,  that  he  just  had  to 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  89 

bribe  you  to  let  up,  or  some  day  you'd  set  the  river 
afire/' 

"  Huh !  no  danger  of  you  ever  doing  that,  I 
guess,"  chuckled  Giraffe. 

All  the  same,  he  got  up,  and  began  to  gather 
small  tinder  on  his  own  account. 

"  Mind  you,"  he  observed  a  minute  later,  as 
though  half  regretting  his  action  in  squelching  Step 
Hen  so  soon;  ''  if  anybody  feels  like  lending  a  hand 
to  gather  fuel,  why  there  ain't  nothin'  against  that; 
and  we'll  have  that  bully  old  coffee  all  the  sooner, 
you  understand." 

This  sort  of  subtle  persuasion  seemed  to  at  least 
stir  Davy  Jones  into  life,  for  getting  slowly  to  his 
feet,  he  began  to  collect  larger  wood,  and  throw  it 
down  close  to  where  the  energetic  fire-builder  was 
starting  to  make  his  blaze. 

Giraffe  was  a  real  fire  worshipper.  He  dreamed 
of  his  pet  hobby;  and  many  times  could  be  seen, 
apparently  idly  whittling  a  stick;  when,  if  asked 
what  he  was  doing,  his  reply  would  invariably  be: 

"  Well,  we  might  want  to  start  a  fire  some  time 
or  other;  and  then  these  shavings'd  come  in  handy, 
you  see." 

On  several  notable  occasions  this  weakness  of 
Giraffe's  had  managed  to  get  him  into  more  or  less 
trouble;  and  the  sagacious  scout  leader  finally  had 
to  take  him  to  task.  So  on  this  mountain  hike  it 
had  been  agreed  betw^een  them  that  Giraffe  would 


90  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

refrain  from  attempting  his  favorite  role  of  mak- 
ing miscellaneous  fires  at  odd  times,  if  allowed  tc 
build  all  the  camp-fires  of  the  trip. 

And  so  far  he  had  really  kept  his  word,  though 
chere  were  times  when  the  temptation  nearly  over- 
came his  scruples. 

When  Thad  and  the  other  two  came  back,  dark- 
ness had  settled  over  the  scene.  This  came  all  the 
sooner  on  account  of  the  high  walls  that  shut  them 
in  on  either  side;  though  just  beyond  the  boys  be- 
lieved there  must  be  some  sort  of  an  open  spot,  in 
the  way  of  a  valley. 

"  I'm  glad  to  see  that  you  made  a  fine  fireplace 
for  cooking,  Number  Six,"  remarked  the  patrol 
leader,  as  he  looked  around ;  "  because  we  may 
spend  a  day  or  so  right  here,  resting  up  a  bit.  Now, 
while  supper  is  getting  underway  I'm  going  to  tell 
you  a  few  things  that  are  at  to  interest  you  some. 
They  concern  our  comrade  Bob  White  here,  and  he's 
given  me  full  permission  to  say  what  I'm  going  t«." 

"There,  Step  Hen,  what  did  I  tell  you?"  cried 
Bumpus,  gleefully.  "  Next  time  just  get  a  throttle 
grip  on  that  bump  of  curiosity  of  yours." 

"  I've  heard  my  maw  say  people  that  live  in  glass 
houses  hadn't  ought  to  heave  any  stones,"  retorted 
the  other,  witheringly. 

But  the  boys  quickly  forgot  all  their  differences, 
once  Thad  started  to  tell  of  the  strange  things  which 
he  had  heard  from  Bob  White. 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  91 

There  was  an  intaking  of  the  breath,  such  as 
would  indicate  great  excitement,  as  they  learned 
how  Bob's  father  had  been  connected  with  the  raids 
on  the  secret  Stills  of  the  mountain  moonshiners. 
And  when  finally  they  heard  how  he  had  met  so 
terrible  a  fate,  while  pursuing  his  sworn  duty  by 
the  Government,  glances  of  true  brotherly  sym- 
pathy v/ere  cast  in  the  direction  of  Bob. 

"  Now,"  said  Thad,  in  conclusion;  "  youVe  heard 
about  all  there  is  to  tell ;  and  I  know  you're  tremen- 
dously astonished,  because  none  of  us  had  any  idea 
that  we  were  going  to  run  up  against  such  a  thing 
as  this  when  we  asked  Bob  to  let  us  go  with  him  to 
his  old  home  here  among  the  Blue  Ridge  Moun- 
tains. But  what  is  important  to  know,  is  your  de- 
cision. Majority  rules  in  everything  of  this  kind; 
and  if  more  than  half  of  you  think  we  ought  to 
turn  right  back,  and  not  keep  on,  why,  there's  noth- 
ing to  be  done  but  turn  about,  and  go  over  the  trail 
again.'* 

"  Well,  not  much !  "  exclaimed  Giraffe,  filled  with 
a  spirit  of  boyish  comradeship  toward  the  chum  who 
had  been  so  sorely  afflicted,  and  whose  sad  story  was 
now  discovered  for  the  first  time. 

"  Put  it  up  to  a  vote,  Thad!  "  remarked  Bumpus, 
trying  to  look  grim  and  determined,  though  his 
round  face  was  usually  so  merry  that  it  was  a  hard 
proposition  for  him  to  seem  serious. 


92  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

"  All  in  favor  of  returning  to-morrow  say  aye," 
Thad  suggested. 

Just  as  he  expected,  there  was  absolute  silence. 

"All  in  favor  of  sticking  to  our  chum  through 
thick  and  thin,  and  doing  all  we  can  to  help  him  over 
the  rough  places,  say  aye !  "  the  leader  continued. 

A  chorus  of  eager  assents  drowned  his  words. 
Bob  White's  fine  dark  eyes  filled  up  with  tears.  He 
could  not  trust  himself  to  speak;  but  the  look  he 
gave  each  and  every  one  of  those  seven  loyal  com- 
rades was  more  eloquent  than  any  words  could  have 
been, 

"  After  we've  had  supper,"  Thad  went  on. 
warmly,  "  Bob  means  to  go  to  keep  his  appointment 
with  his  little  cousin,  who  expects  to  slip  out  of  the 
house,  and  meet  him  where  he  wrote  her  he  would 
be  at  a  certain  hour.  There's  the  queerest  valley 
you  ever  saw  just  ahead  of  us.  Across  it  you  can 
see  the  lights  of  Reuben  Sparks'  house,  and  several 
others  that  lie  there  in  a  bunch,  a  sort  of  hamlet, 
because  it's  hardly  a  village.  And  Bob  says  that 
Reuben  really  owns  about  the  whole  place.  He  can 
get  over  there  in  an  hour  or  so,  because  he  knows 
the  ground  so  well.  And  while  he's  gone,  we  can 
take  it  easy  here,  making  up  our  beds  for  the  night ; 
if  so  be  there  are  any  bushes  to  be  cut,  worth  sleep- 
ing on." 

"  Hey,  would  you  see  how  fine  a  fire-tender  that 
GirafTe  is;  it's  gone  clean  out,  that's  what?"  cried 
Step  Hen,  just  then. 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  93 

"  Well,  would  you  blame  him,  when  he  was  listen- 
ing to  such  an  interesting  story  as  the  one  I  had 
to  tell  ?  "  asked  Thad.  "  Get  busy.  Number  Six, 
and  have  a  blaze  going  in  quick  time/' 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir,"  sang  out  Giraffe,  who  had  wisely 
laid  aside  a  surplus  supply  of  fine  stuff  when  mak- 
ing the  fire,  which  now  came  in  very  handy. 

And  when  the  coffee  was  finally  done,  and  they 
gathered  around,  sitting  on  rocks,  logs,  or  even 
cross-legged,  tailor-fashion,  on  the  ground,  the 
eight  scouts  made  a  very  fine  picture  in  their  uni- 
forms. 

Apparently  their  appetites  had  been  sharpened  by 
that  afternoon  jaunt,  judging  from  the  way  they 
pitched  in.  And  perhaps,  after  all,  Reuben  Sparks 
had  been  a  wise  as  well  as  prudent  man  when  he 
failed  to  invite  this  squad  of  lads  to  stop  over  with 
him ;  for  they  would  have  made  a  sad  inroad  on  the 
contents  of  his  larder;  and  food  costs  money. 

"  Where's  Bob  ?  "  demanded  Bumpus,  suddenly, 
after  they  had  been  about  half  an  hour  trying  to 
lighten  their  supplies,  and  with  wonderfully  good 
success.  He  was  sitting  over  yonder  only  three  min- 
utes ago ;  and  now  he's  gone.  Reckon  that  bad  spirit 
of  yours  is  sneakin'  around  again.  Step  Hen,  and 
must  a  took  Bob  by  mistake ;  though  I  pity  his  eyes 
if  he'd  ever  think  so  good  lookin'  a  feller  as  Bob 
could  be  you !  " 


94  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

"  Bob's  gone  to  keep  his  appointment/*  remarked 
Thad,  quietly. 

And  the  boys  said  nothing  more  about  it,  know- 
ing that  the  Southern  lad  laid  considerable  store 
upon  this  meeting  with  his  little  cousin  Bertha; 
whom  he  expected  to  coax  in  to  helping  him  try  and 
see  whether  sly  old  Reuben  Sparks  might  not  have 
forgotten  to  destroy  all  evidence  of  fraud,  in  con- 
nection with  his  dealings  with  her  father,  the  uncle 
of  Bob. 

So  the  conversation  drifted  to  other  topics;  and 
soon  they  were  laughing  over  some  of  the  queer  hap- 
pennings  in  the  past  history  of  the  Silver  Fox  Pa- 
trol. 


CHAPTER  XL 

WHAT  WAS  UNDER  THE  HAT. 

The  flames  crackled  merrily,  and  the  seven  boys 
who  lounged  there  in  as  comfortable  attitudes 
as  they  could  strike,  were  fully  enjoying  themselves. 
This  sort  of  outdoor  life  seemed  to  appeal  very 
strongly  to  all  of  them,  though  of  course  to  some 
more  than  others. 

It  had  always  been  a  passion  with  Thad,  for  in- 
stance; and  Allan  could  look  back  to  scores  of 
occasions  when  he  sat  by  a  camp-fire;  because  he 
was  a  Maine  boy,  and  as  such  had  spent  consider- 


IN  THE  BLUE  EIDGE  95 

able  time  in  the  piney  woods  of  his  native  State, 
hunting,  fishing,  and  living  close  to  Nature's  heart. 

While  they  could  not  indulge  in  any  of  their 
songs,  according  to  the  regulations  that  had  been 
put  in  force  by  the  patrol  leader,  this  did  not  pre- 
vent the  boys  from  enjoying  sundry  good  laughs 
when  comical  stories  were  told. 

"  Reckon  Bob's  been  gone  more'n  an  hour  now," 
remarked  Step  Hen,  who  had  been  more  thrilled  by 
the  story  of  the  Government  agent's  sad  fate  than 
any  of  the  others;  because  Step  Hen  had  always 
been  a  great  reader  of  tales  of  daring  and  adven- 
ture, and  often  pictured  himself  playing  the  role 
of  a  hero,  with  the  admiring  crowd  cheering  him  to 
the  echo,  and  wanting  to  carry  him  around  on  their 
shoulders. 

"  Yes,  and  pretty  soon  Allan  will  be  going  out  to 
communicate  w^ith  him,  because,  you  know  they 
arranged  a  series  of  signals  by  means  of  the  lan- 
tern, and  burning  matches  that  Bob'll  hold  up.  But 
don't  talk  too  loud  about  that  same  matter,  Step 
Hen;  because,  you  understand,  we're  close  by  the 
road;  and  somebody  might  be  coming  along  at  the 
^time.  Remember  that  man  we  saw  sitting  on  the 
rock  with  his  gun  between  his  knees?  Well,  I 
guess  there  are  a  considerable  number  of  others  just 
like  him  around  these  diggings;  and  by  now  they 
all  know  we're  in  the  mountains,  bent  on  some 
errand  they  can't  understand." 


96  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

Of  course  it  was  Thad  himself  who  said  all  this. 
He  knew  the  failing  Step  Hen  had  of  shouting 
everything  out  loud;  and  Thad  really  believed  they 
would  be  wise  to  carry  on  their  conversation  in  tones 
that  could  not  be  heard  very  far  away. 

It  turned  out  later  that  he  was  wiser  than  he 
dreamed,  when  he  gave  Step  Hen  this  little  hint. 

They  had  started  Bumpus  telling  how  an  angry 
bull  had  once  chased  him  around  a  tree  on  his 
uncle's  farm,  and  the  boys  were  laughing  at  his 
comical  description  of  the  scene  at  the  time  when 
the  pursuit  was  hottest,  and  he  could  have  caught 
hold  of  the  animal's  tail  had  he  wanted,  when  a 
dismal  wail  arose. 

"  Well,  did  you  ever,  if  that  ain't  Step  Hen  put- 
ting up  his  regular  howl !  "  exclaimed  Giraffe,  in- 
dignantly. 

"  And  just  when  Bumpus  here  had  got  to  the 
most  exciting  point  in  his  yarn,"  added  the  dis- 
gusted Davy  Jones. 

"  Whatever  are  you  looking  for  now,  you  poor 
silly  thing?  "  demanded  the  story-teller,  who  himself 
disliked  very  much  to  have  his  thrilling  tale  inter- 
rupted in  this  manner. 

"  I  can't  find  my  hat,  and  that's  what  ?  "  declared 
the  scout  whose  besetting  sin  was  carelessness; 
"  Had  it  on  only  a  little  while  ago,  but  now  it's 
sure  gone  up  the  flue." 

Step  Hen  twisted  his  neck  as  he  spoke,  and  looked 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  97 

up  into  the  branches  of  the  tree  under  which  they 
had  built  their  camp-fire;  just  as  though  he  really 
suspected  that  a  giant  hand  had  been  lowered  from 
the  foliage,  to  clutch  his  campaign  hat  from  his 
head,  and  vanish  with  it. 

Things  that  Step  Hen  owned  were  always  in 
great  demand  among  these  mysterious  spirits  of 
the  air;  since  nothing  belonging  to  his  chums 
seemed  ever  to  disappear. 

"  Oh !  sit  down,  and  let  Bumpus  finish  his  story," 
growled  Giraffe.  "  What's  an  old  hat  after  all,  to 
kick  up  such  a  row  over  it  ?  Ten  to  one  now  you've 
stowed  it  away  in  one  of  your  pockets.  I've  known 
you  to  do  that  more'n  a  few  times.'' 

"  'Tain't  so,  because  I've  tried  every  pocket  I've 
got,  and  never  found  a  thing.  P'raps,  now,  one  of 
you  fellers  happened  to  see  it  lying  around,  and 
put  it  on,  of  course  by  mistake,  thinkin'  it  his  own. 
Anybody  got  two  hats  on  ?  " 

"  You  make  me  tired,  sure  you  do.  Step  Hen," 
Giraffe  continued.  "  We  know  what  he  is,  boys, 
and  that  none  of  us  will  get  any  peace  till  his  old  hat 
turns  up.  Might  as  well  get  out,  and  find  it  for  the 
poor  baby.  If  I  lost  things  as  much  as  Step  Hen 
does,  I'd  just  get  some  twine,  and  tie  everything  on, 
good  and  tight.  Then  if  I  missed  my  hat  all  I'd 
have  to  do  would  be  to  pull  in  a  certain  string,  and 
there  she'd  be,  all  slick  and  sound." 


98  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

I 

While  he  was  speaking  Giraffe  arose  to  his  feet, 
but  not  without  making  sundry  wry  faces;  for  he 
had  been  sitting  a  whole  hour  in  a  cramped  posi- 
tion, and  his  muscles  were  moreover  tired  from  the 
day's  jaunt. 

"  Now  watch  me  find  your  old  hat  before  you 
can  say  Jack  Robinson  fifty  times,"  he  boasted,  as 
he  started  to  hustle  about. 

Step  Hen  seemed  quite  willing  that  he  should 
carry  out  his  word,  for  he  himself  made  no  further 
move  looking  to  hunting  for  the  missing  head-gear. 

Suddenly  they  heard  Giraffe  give  a  queer  little 
grunt,  that  seemed  to  contain  a  mixture  of  satisfac- 
tion and  disdain.  He  darted  into  the  adjoining 
bushes. 

"  Here  she  is !  "  he  called  out,  and  alyin'  in  the 
shadows,  as  cute  as  you  please.  Use  your  eyes  next 
time,  Step  Hen,  and  p'raps — oh !  great  governor !  '* 

Giraffe  came  jumping  back  into  the.  circle  o^ 
light  cast  by  the  camp-fire.  He  certainly  did  x^ave  a 
hat  clutched  in  his  hand,  at  which  he  was  staring 
in  the  oddest  way  imaginable. 

The  others  had  gained  their  feet,  drawn  by  some 
motive  that  possibly  they  themselves  did  not  half 
understand;  but  it  had  seemed  to  Thad  as  though 
there  was  a  note  of  sudden  alarm  in  Giraffe's  cry; 
and  the  others  may  have  thought  the  same  thing. 

Step  Hen,  believing  himself  to  be  entitled  to  the 
recovery  of  his  individual  property,  hustled  for- 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  99 

ward,  and  deliberately  took  the  hat  from  the  hand 
of  his  comrade. 

"  Much  obliged,  Giraffe,  on  account  of  going  to 
all  that  trouble  for  me,"  he  said,  sweetly,  so  as  to 
impress  the  other,  and  cause  him  to  repeat  the  favor 
at  some  future  time.  "  But  it's  mighty  queer  how 
my  hat  ever  got  over  in  that  clump  of  bushes.  Give 
you  my  word  for  it,  I  ain't  stepped  that  way  since  we 
struck  here;  afraid  of  snakes,  you  know,  fellers. 
Goes  to  prove  what  I  told  you  about  something 
hoverin'  around,  that  we  just  can't  see,  and  which 
grabs  things  belongin'  to  me  every — say.  Giraffe, 
what  sort  of  a  joke  are  you  play  in'  on  me  now ;  this 
ain't  my  hat !  " 

"  I — know — it — ain't !  "  gasped  the  tall  scout, 
who  seemed  to  have  some  difficulty  in  regaining  his 
breath. 

"  It's  an  old  and  worn-out  thing  in  the  bargain ; 
and  see  here,  it  ain't  even  regulation  campaign,  be- 
cause it's  off  color.  There  ain't  no  cord  around  it 
either;  and  my  hat's  got  my  badge  fastened  to  it, 
to  tell  it  from  the  rest  when  they  get  mixed. 
Where'd  you  get  this  old  thing,  anyhow.  Giraffe  ?  " 

By  now  the  other  had  recovered  from  the  shock 
which  he  seemed  to  have  received.  He  was  even 
eager  to  tell  his  version  of  the  affair,  as  his  com- 
rades clustered  around  him. 

"  I  saw  the  hat  when  I  told  you  I  did,'*  he  began, 
in  an  awed  voice ;  "  and  all  the  time  I  was  aspeakin' 


100  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

I  kept  pushin'  my  way  into  the  brush,  intendin'  to 
snatch  up  the  same,  and  throw  it  out  to  Step  Hen 
here.  The  reason  I  cut  short  was  because,  when  I 
grabbed  the  hat  by  the  rim,  and  gave  a  jerk,  /  felt  a 
head  under  it! '' 

Bumpus  immediately  caught  hold  of  the  arm  of 
the  scoutmaster.  It  was  not  because  he  was  afraid, 
though  Bumpus  had  often  been  reckoned  a  bit  timid ; 
but  the  action  appeared  to  inspire  him  with  confi- 
dence. He  knew  that  Thad  would  be  equal  to  the 
emergency.  And  in  times  of  stress  it  feels  good  to 
be  in  close  touch  with  one  who  is  going  to  save  the 
day. 

Thad  understood  without  being  told,  what  it  all 
meant.  Some  spy  had  been  secretly  observing  the 
movements  of  the  scouts,  hidden  in  that  bunch  of 
brushwood;  and  when  his  hat  caught  the  eager  eye 
of  Giraffe,  the  latter  had  supposed  of  course  that  it 
was  the  missing  head-gear. 

They  looked  blankly  at  each  other,  Thad,  Allan 
and  the  other  five.  Then,  as  if  unconsciously,  and 
by  mutual  consent,  they  turned  their  gaze  in  the 
direction  of  the  thicket  from  which  Step  Hen  had 
just  emerged,  bearing  the  tell-tale  stranger  hat  in 
his  hand. 

Perhaps  they  expected  to  see  some  one  rushing 
away  in  hot  haste,  so  as  not  to  be  caught  napping 
by  these  young  fellows  wearing  the  uniform  in  ;i»e 
by  United  States  regulars. 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  101 

But  nothing  seemed  to  be  moving  there;  at  least 
they  caught  no  sound  to  indicate  that  the  spy  was 
in  full  flight  at  that  moment. 

Thad  reached  out,  and  took  the  hat  from  the 
trembling  hand  of  Step  Hen ;  who  heaved  a  sigh  of 
relief  upon  feeling  it  leave  his  clutch;  as  though  a 
spell  might  have  been  broken  by  the  act. 

One  look  told  the  patrol  leader  that  in  all  prob- 
ability the  hat  belonged  to  a  mountaineer.  It  was 
indeed  old,  and  had  an  unusually  wide  brim. 
Being  somewhat  of  the  same  color  as  those  worn  by 
the  scouts,  in  the  semi-darkness  it  was  no  wonder 
Giraffe  had  made  the  mistake  he  did,  and  reached 
out  for  it,  under  the  belief  that  he  had  found  the 
missing  head-gear  of  the  careless  comrade. 

Of  course  he  realized  his  astonishing  mistake  the 
instant  his  fingers  came  in  contact  with  a  human 
head  that  had  been  held  low  down,  in  the  expecta- 
tion that  the  spying  owner  might  remain  undis- 
covered. 

Thad  knew  that  they  were  apt  to  see  more  of  the 
one  to  whom  that  article  belonged.  Sometimes 
these  motmtaineers  think  a  good  deal  of  the  hats 
they  wear;  at  least  Thad  knew  they  clung  to  them 
a  pretty  long  time,  if  the  greasy  appearance  of  some 
he  had  seen  might  be  taken  for  an  index  to  the  affec- 
tion they  entertained  for  the  felt  that  sheltered  their 
heads  from  the  summer  sun,  and  the  wintry  blasts. 

"  Well,  Giraffe,  you  certainly  made  a  big  mistake 


102  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

when  you  took  this  hat  for  the  one  our  chum  had 
lost/*  remarked  Thad,  in  a  loud,  clear  voke,  which 
he  hoped  would  reach  the  ears  of  the  one  in  hiding, 
and  bring  him  forth ;  "  and  you  owe  some  sort  of 
an  apology  to  the  owner." 

"  But  how  in  the  wide  world  c'n  I  tell  whose  hat 
it  is,  Thad  ?  "  expostulated  the  tall  and  lanky  scout. 
Thet's  all  right,  younker,"  said  a  gruff  voice, 
Tm  the  critter  as  owns  thet  ere  hat;  Phin  Dady's 
my  name.  Reckon  yeVe  heard  o'  me,'*  and  with 
the  words  a  man  stalked  into  the  camp. 

He  was  tall  and  straight,  and  carried  a  long  re- 
peating rifle.  More  than  that,  he  had  a  small  face, 
and  piercing  eyes  like  those  of  a  badger.  And  every 
scout  felt  a  thrill  as  he  realized  that  he  was  face  to 
face  with  the  notorious  moonshiner,  Phin  Dady, 
whom  the  whole  United  States  Government  had 
tried  for  years  in  vain  to  capture. 


ii 


CHAPTER  Xn. 

AN  HONORED  GUEST. 

The  boys  looked  at  the  moonshiner,  who  re- 
turned their  stares  with  interest.  He  seemed  ut- 
terly indifferent  as  to  whether  they  chose  to  receive 
him  either  as  a  friend  or  a  foe.  From  this  Thad 
was  almost  certain  that  there  must  be  other  fierce 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  103 

mountaineers  close  by,  ready  to  back  up  their  chief, 
should  he  provoke  a  quarrel  with  the  strange  boys 
in  uniform. 

That  fact  meant  serious  trouble  for  the  scouts,  if 
it  happened  to  come  to  pass.  Thad  knew  that  these 
lawless  men  of  the  mountains,  who  snap  their  fin- 
gers at  the  authority  of  the  courts,  and  feel  safe 
in  the  security  of  their  secret  fastnesses,  deep  in  the 
unknown  regions  back  of  the  trodden  trails,  think 
very  little  of  human  life.  They  are  usually  engaged 
in  some  vendetta  between  rival  factions,  or  families, 
and  blood  is  frequently  shed. 

Understanding  how  thin  was  the  ice  upon  which 
he  and  his  comrades  were  skating,  the  patrol  leader 
felt  that  he  could  not  be  too  careful  how  he  pro- 
voked this  man  of  strong  passions  to  violence. 

A  little  to  his  surprise  Phin  Dady  wheeled,  and 
faced  him  directly.  But  then  the  mountaineer  was 
gifted  with  a  sharp  vision,  and  he  could  readily 
guess  which  one  of  the  scouts  served  in  the  capacity 
of  leader.  Perhaps  there  was  that  in  the  manner  of 
Thad  to  tell  him  this  fact.  Or  he  might  have  been 
watching  and  listening  long  enough  to  see  how  the 
others  all  deferred  to  Thad's  judgment. 

"  I  gut  yer  letter  O.  K."  he  said,  simply. 

Thad's  anxious  face  brightened  up  instantly;  he 
saw  that  for  the  time  being  the  other  meant  to  put 
aside  his  hostility.  Curiosity  had  supplanted  en- 
mity.    He  wanted  to  learn  more  about  what  that 


104  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

term  *'  Boy  Scouts,"  used  in  the  message  left  in  the 
cleft  of  the  stick,  might  mean. 

"  And  I  hope  you  read  what  we  wrote,  Phin 
Dady?"  the  boy  asked,  eagerly. 

A  whimsical  smile  flashed  athwart  the  thin  face 
of  the  mountaineer. 

"  As  fur  me,  I  ain't  much  o'  a  hand  ter  read,  any 
more'n  I  am  ter  write;  but  thar  chanced  ter  be  a 
feller  along  as  hed  sum  schoolin';  an'  him  an'  me, 
we  managed  ter  figger  it  out.  Thort  as  how  Fd  like 
ter  run  up  agin  ye  all,  an'  larn  wat  all  this  hyar 
bizness  consarnin'  Boy  Scouts  be.  Heerd  tell  'bout 
sich,  but  never  cud  find  am1:hin'  but  a  cold  trail. 
So  I  kim  over  ter  see  ye;  an'  p'raps  now  ye'd  open 
up  an'  'xplain." 

"  I'll  be  only  too  glad  to  do  that,  if  you'll  take  a 
seat  at  our  camp-fire  here  for  a  little  while,  Phin 
Dady,''  Thad  remarked,  making  a  movement  with 
his  hand  to  indicate  where  the  other  could  find  a 
comfortable  spot  to  rest. 

The  man  looked  closely  at  the  speaker;  then 
turned  his  head,  and  deliberately  made  a  motion  with 
his  hand,  that  must  have  been  intended  for  some 
concealed  confederate.  After  which  he  stepped 
over,  and  took  a  seat,  but  not  the  one  Thad  had  in- 
dicated as  the  post  of  honor. 

"  Reckon  Fll  sit  hyar,  ef  so  be  it's  all  ther  same 
ter  you-uns,"  he  said,  as  he  dropped  down,  and 
swung  his  rifle  across  his  knees.    "  Yuh  see,  I  likes 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  105 

ter  look  at  everybody  w'en  I  gets  ter  talkin'.  If  s 
more  sociable  like." 

But  Thad  knew  better.  The  gleam  in  those  beady 
eyes  told  him  what  the  true  meaning  of  this  action 
must  be.  When  a  man  has  been  hunted,  in  and  out 
of  season,  for  the  better  part  of  his  long  life,  he 
naturally  become  most  suspicious  of  every  stranger, 
young  and  old.  Many  had  been  the  shrewd  games 
engineered  by  the  revenue  men  to  catch  this  old 
weasel  asleep.  He  trusted  no  one  all  the  way,  even 
his  best  friends,  who  might  be  tempted  to  betray  him 
because  of  the  reward  that  was  offered  for  his  cap- 
ture. 

But  although  Thad  had  guessed  just  why  the 
other  chose  the  seat  he  had  taken,  it  would  have 
been  most  unwise  on  his  part  to  have  shown  any  re- 
sentment; or  even  to  let  Phin  Dady  know  that  he 
understood. 

"  You  see,  Thad  began,  simply,"  we  were  warned 
to  be  careful  before  we  left  Asheville,  because  peo- 
ple said  that  the  fact  of  our  wearing  uniforms  might 
make  the  mountain  folks  think  we  had  something  to 
do  with  the  army.  I  was  explaining  all  about  what 
the  Boy  Scouts  represent  to  Mr.  Reuben  Sparks 
only  a  short  time  ago,  and  he  was  greatly  interested. 
If  you'll  listen,  then,  I'll  go  back,  and  tell  what  we 
aim  to  do;  and  why  we  have  left  our  homes  to  take 
a  long  hike  through  a  mountainous  region,  for  up 
wher-t  we  live  we  have  no  such  big  hills  as  these." 


106  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

So  Thad  began,  and  told  in  as  simple  language  as 
he  could  find  just  what  objects  were  kept  in  mind 
among  all  troops  of  Boy  Scouts,  whether  in  Amer- 
ica, England,  Australia,  South  Africa,  Germany, 
France  or  any  other  country  on  the  face  of  the 
globe. 

Fortunately  Thad  was  a  good  talker.  He  knew 
how  to  make  use  of  a  whole  lot  of  little  things  in 
order  to  arouse  the  interest  of  the  one  who  was 
listening;  and  he  certainly  had  a  subject  worthy  of 
hi^  best  efforts  in  this  explanation  of  what  the  Boy 
Scout  movement  stood  for. 

And  the  mountain  man  was  deeply  interested  too. 
He  proved  this  by  the  way  he  hung  upon  the  words 
of  the  boy.  Now  and  then  his  suspicious  nature 
would  show  itself  in  a  cautious  look  around,  as 
though  he  wanted  to  make  sure  that  no  shrewd 
game  were  being  engineered,  while  the  speaker  kept 
his  attention  engaged. 

Several  times  he  broke  in  on  Thad  to  ask  ques- 
tions. He  could  not  get  it  through  his  head,  for  in- 
stance, why  boys  any  more  than  men,  should  set 
about  doing  all  the  work  that  scouts  attempt,  with- 
out pay.  In  this  region  of  the  hookworm,  where 
men  never  dream  of  working  until  driven  to  it  by 
actual  hunger,  they  think  others  must  be  crazy  to 
voluntarily  take  upon  themselves  huge  tasks  that 
try  both  brain  and  muscle. 

"  But  sure  the  Gov'ment  pays  yuh!  "  he  said  three 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  107 

separate  times,  as  though  he  felt  positive  there  must 
be  some  secret  connection  between  the  Boy  Scout 
movement,  and  the  authorities  at  Washington;  else 
why  should  they  be  wearing  the  uniform  he  and  his 
fellow-moonshiners  had  come  to  look  on  as  the  mark 
of  the  oppressor;  for  several  times  the  army  had 
been  called  into  the  field  to  hunt  down  the  elusive 
law  breakers,  who  simply  vanished  utterly  from 
view,  and  remained  in  hiding  until  the  raid  was 
over. 

"  Not  one  cent  do  we  get  from  anybody,"  Thad 
assured  him,  positively.  "  Why,  even  our  uniforms 
have  to  be  bought  with  money  we've  each  one 
earned.  We're  not  allowed  to  accept  them  as  a 
gift  from  any  man,  or  any  source.  So  you  see, 
we're  under  no  obligations  to  anybody." 

Again  Phin  Dady  asked  a  series  of  questions 
which  would  indicate  that  he  was  at  least  interested 
in  all  Thad  told  him,  though  possibly  he  believed 
only  a  small  part  of  the  whole. 

When  Thad  repeated  to  him  the  twelve  cardinal 
features  of  a  Boy  Scout's  vow,  taken  when  he 
joined  a  troop,  Phin  shook  his  head  helplessly,  as 
though  it  were  beyond  his  power  of  understanding. 
Indeed,  that  was  where  the  trouble  lay ;  he  possessed 
so  shallow  a  nature  that  he  was  utterly  unable  to 
grasp  the  full  significance  of  the  scheme.  There 
must  be  some  sort  of  recompense,  in  dollars  and 
cents,  to  make  it  worth  while  for  any  person  to  do 


108  THE  BOY  S(X)UTS 

things  that  called  for  labor.  And  that  was  why  he 
continued  to  keep  his  weapon  across  his  knees  as  he 
sat  and  listened,  and  asked  an  occasional  question. 
Phin  Dady  was  not  going  to  be  lulled  to  sleep  by 
any  interesting  yarn  that  sounded  very  **  fishy  "  in 
his  ears. 

Of  course,  the  other  scouts  had  discreetly  re- 
mained silent  while  all  this  was  going  on.  They 
were  content  to  let  Thad  do  the  talking,  for  none  of 
them  could  equal  the  patrol  leader  in  explaining 
what  the  benefits  were,  which  boys  might  expect  to 
obtain  when  they  joined  a  scout  patrol. 

Several  of  them  just  sat  there,  and  stared  in  open- 
mouthed  wonder  at  the  man,  of  whom  they  had 
heard  more  or  less  lately,  and  whose  defiance  of  the 
authorities  had  been  a  matter  of  many  years'  stand- 
ing. 

Phin  Dady  might  boast  of  no  education  whatever; 
and  his  knowledge  of  the  world,  outside  the  con- 
fines of  the  Big  Smokies,  was  doubtless  extremely 
limited;  but  he  did  possess  what  served  him  far 
better  in  the  warfare  in  which  he  was  continually 
engaged  with  revenue  agents — a  natural  shrewdness 
such  as  the  wily  fox  of  the  forest  shows,  and  by 
means  of  which  he  outwits  his  pursuers. 

"  An'  yuh  kim  'way  down  this  away  jest  tuh  climb 
the  mountings,  an'  see  wot  yuh  cud  do  acampin' 
out  without  ary  tents  er  blankets,  did  yuh?"  the 
mountaineer  went  on,  surveying  the  boyish  faces 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  109 

that  formed  a  half  circle  around  him.  "  Wall,  I  jest 
reckons  ye'll  know  a  heap  more  by  ther  time  ye  gits 
back  ter  yer  homes'n  yuh  did  w'en  yuh  started  out." 

He  chuckled  as  he  said  that.  Thad  wondered 
whether  there  could  be  any  hidden  meaning  back  of 
the  words.  When  dealing  with  such  a  slippery  cus- 
tomer as  this  hunted  moonshiner,  it  was  always 
necessary  to  keep  on  the  watch.  The  man  who  al- 
ways suspected  others  of  double  dealing  might  be 
in  the  same  class  himself. 

"  Oh !  we're  quite  sure  of  that,''  said  the  patrol 
leader,  with  a  pleasant  smile.  "  Already  those 
among  us  who  had  never  climbed  a  mountain  slope 
before,  have  had  their  leg  muscles  stiffened,  and  can 
do  better  work  than  in  the  start.  We  expect  to 
have  a  pretty  good  time  all  around.  And  we  wrote 
you  that  message,  Phin  Dady,  because  we  believed 
you  were  ordering  us  out  of  these  mountains  under 
a  mistake  that  we  meant  to  do  you,  or  some  of  your 
friends,  harm.  We  want  you  to  feel  that  we  never 
dreamed  of  that  when  we  started  in  here." 

"  Then  I  hopes  as  how  yuh  beant  changin'  o'  yer 
minds  sence  yuh  kim,"  remarked  the  moonshiner, 
just  as  though  he  knew  what  the  subject  of  their 
recent  conversations  might  have  been. 

Before  Thad  could  decide  just  what  sort  of  an 
answer  he  ought  to  make,  if  any  at  all,  the  manner 
of  the  other  changed  as  if  by  magic.  His  face  took 
on  a  fierce  expression,  and  he  looked  along  the  row 


110  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

of  boyish  faces  by  which  he  was  confronted,  as 
though  one  of  them  had  done  something  to  arouse 
his  hot  anger. 

The  cHck  of  the  hammer  of  his  gun  could  be 
heard  as  his  thumb  drew  it  back;  and  the  scouts 
shrank  away  in  dismay  when  they  saw  the  flame  in 
his  small  eyes. 

"  Quick !  tell  me  you'uns,  whar  be  the  other  one  ? 
Thar  was  sure  eight  w'en  we  counted  yuh  from  the 
side  o'  the  mounting.  An'  it  mout  pay  yuh  ter 
'member  thet  Ole  Phin,  he  beant  the  man  ter  fool 
with.  Eight  thar  was;  whar  be  the  other  right 
now  ?  " 

And  Thad  realized  that  the  ice  was  indeed  getting 
desperately  thin  under  their  feet  at  that  particular 
moment. 


CHAPTER  XHI. 

BAITING   OLD   PHIN,   THE   MOONSHINER. 

Thad  himself  managed  to  retain  his  self-posses- 
sion under  these  trying  conditions.  What  he  be- 
lieved he  had  to  fear  most  of  all,  was  that  one  of 
his  chums  might  give  the  secret  away  by  some  ill- 
advised  remark,  uttered  under  the  spur  of  the  mo- 
ment.    He  knew  that  they  must  have  shrunk  back, 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  111 

appalled,  when  the  moonshiner  made  such  a  threat- 
ening move,  accompanying  his  fierce  words.  But 
for  the  life  of  him  Thad  could  not  tear  his  eyes  away 
from  the  face  of  the  man  himself. 

It  was  just  as  well.  Phin  Dady  looked  to  Thad, 
as  the  leader  of  the  scouts,  for  an  answer  to  his  de- 
mand. Had  the  boy  shown  any  evidences  of  con- 
fusion or  weakening  just  then,  it  might  have  con- 
firmed the  sudden  ugly  suspicions  that  had  flashed 
into  the  other's  mind,  and  just  when  he  was  grow- 
ing more  or  less  interested  in  the  wonderful  stories 
he  had  been  listening  to  concerning  the  aims  and 
ambitions  of  these  uniformed  lads. 

"  There  are  eight  of  us,  just  as  you  say,"  Thad 
remarked,  trying  to  look  surprised  at  the  change  of 
front  on  the  part  of  his  caller ;  "  but  the  other  one, 
White  his  name  is,  has  gone  to  see  Reuben  Sparks 
on  business.  We  expect  him  back  inside  of  an  hour 
or  so.    If  you'd  care  to  wait  you  can  meet  him." 

His  air  was  so  candid,  and  his  face  so  free  from 
guile  that  the  moonshiner  could  find  no  further  cause 
for  suspicion.  Besides,  had  he  not  heard  in  the 
beginning  that  the  scouts  had  already  made  the  ac- 
quaintance of  Reuben  Sparks ;  who,  like  himself  had 
displayed  more  or  less  interest  in  their  aims  and  am- 
bitions. 

Phin  Dady  even  began  to  feel  a  little  ashamed  of 
his  sudden  threatening  attitude.  The  fierce  look  on 
his  thin  face,  that  with  his  gleaming  wolfish  eyes, 


112  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

had  made  him  appear  so  savage,  gradually  vanished. 
It  gave  way  to  a  rather  stupid  grin;  as  though  the 
man  realized  how  silly  it  was  of  him  to  suspect  that 
these  half -grown  boys  could  do  injury  to  one  who 
for  years  had  defied  all  the  forces  of  the  United 
States  Government. 

"So,  thet's  it,  younker,  is  it?''  he  said;  "wall, 
I'm  right  glad  ye  c'd  'xplain  ther  thing  right  off'n 
the  reel.  Course  Mister  Sparks,  he's  int'rested  in 
byes,  even  ef  he  beant  the  father  o'  any  hisself. 
An'  he  'vited  yer  pal  over  ter  see  him,  did  he,  so's 
ter  tell  him  a  heap  more  ?  " 

"  He  was  very  much  taken  with  the  idea,  and 
showed  it  by  asking  a  great  many  questions,"  Thad 
went  on ;  trying  to  keep  within  the  lines  of  the  truth, 
and  yet  allow  the  other  to  draw  his  own  conclu- 
sions, to  the  effect  that  Reuben  had  given  one  of  the 
patrol  a  pressing  invitation  to  call  upon  him,  and 
continue  the  interesting  recital  of  the  Boy  Scouts' 
ambitions. 

"  Yuh  war  sayin'  right  now,  thet  these  hyar  byes 
hain't  never  'xpectin'  ter  be  sojers;  an'  thet  they 
don't  kerry  arms ;  air  thet  a  f ack  ?  " 

When  the  mountaineer  made  this  remark  he  was 
looking  straight  toward  the  tree,  against  which 
rested  the  shotgim.  Evidently  he  was  a  little  in 
doubt  concerning  the  truth  of  what  the  patrol  leader 
had  said;  or  it  may  have  been,  wise  Old  Phin  was 
desirous  of  learning  just  what  he  and  his  followers 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  113 

would  have  to  go  up  against  if  ever  they  attacked 
the  camp  of  the  invaders. 

Thad  laughed  good  naturedly. 

"  That's  the  only  firearm  in  camp,  just  at  pres- 
ent/' he  declared.  ''  It  belongs  to  me,  you  see.  We 
knew  there  would  be  little  or  no  hunting  on  this 
trip,  as  the  season  for  protection  in  North  Carolina 
is  on.  But  not  wanting  to  be  without  some  sort  of 
arms,  it  was  decided  to  carry  just  one  shotgun. 
Later  on  we  expect  to  spend  some  time  up  in  Maine ; 
and  then  it'll  be  all  right  for  us  to  carry  rifles  for 
big  game  shooting.  One  of  our  members  comes 
from  Maine,  and  knows  all  about  it  up  in  that 
region." 

Thad  talked  at  length,  because  he  saw  that  some- 
how the  sound  of  his  voice  seemed  to  have  a  sooth- 
ing effect  on  the  rough  mountaineer.  Evidently 
Phin  Dady  had  taken  more  or  less  of  a  fancy  to  the 
leader  of  the  scouts.  He  had  known  many  boys  in 
his  day,  and  perhaps  had  one  or  two  of  his  own; 
but  they  were  like  bear  cubs  in  comparison  with 
this  frank-faced  youth,  with  the  winning  smile,  and 
a  whole  dictionary  of  words  at  the  tip  of  his  tongue. 

By  now  the  balance  of  the  boys  had  managed  to 
recover  from  their  fright.  They  even  began  to  show 
an  interest  in  the  conversation,  though  not  ventur- 
ing to  say  a  word  unless  Thad  appealed  directly  to 
one  of  them;  as  he  did  occasionally,  to  corroborate 
something  he  had  declared. 


114  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

It  was  a  scene  they  would  none  of  them  be  apt 
to  forget  in  a  long  time — this  untamed  old  moun- 
taineer sitting  there  by  their  camp-fire,  asking  ques- 
tions in  connection  with  a  subject  that  had  aroused 
his  keenest  curiosity;  while  they  lounged  around, 
listening,  and  drinking  in  what  was  said. 

Would  he  never  go  ?  Had  he  then  determined  to 
wait  for  the  return  of  the  eighth  scout?  Perhaps 
he  suspected  already  the  identity  of  Bob  Quail.  This 
was  a  matter  that  gave  Thad  considerable  concern, 
for  it  meant  immediate  trouble  for  their  comrade; 
since  the  moonshiner  might  have  his  old-time  enmity 
for  the  Quail  family  revived,  under  the  impression 
that  Bob's  coming  meant  danger  for  himself. 

Once  Allan  arose,  and  stepped  outside  the  circle 
of  firelight.  The  mountaineer  eyed  him  with  just 
a  trifle  of  the  old  suspicion  apparently  rising  again; 
for  Thad  could  see  a  nervous  twitch  to  the  brown 
hands  that  caressed  the  stock  of  the  repeating  rifle. 

But  if  this  were  so,  Phin  Dady  must  have  real- 
ized that  he  could  have  little  or  nothing  to  fear  from 
one  stripling  of  that  species ;  for  he  immediately  re- 
lapsed into  his  former  careless  attitude. 

Thad  could  give  a  pretty  good  guess  what  it  was 
that  caused  Allan  to  walk  beyond  the  camp  toward 
the  place  from  which  they  had  earlier  in  the  even- 
ing watched  the  lights  appear  in  the  home  of  Reuben 
Sparks,  as  well  as  the  few  more  humble  cabins  across 
the  little  valley. 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  115 

Before  Bob  went  away  he  had  arranged  a  series 
of  flash  signals,  by  means  of  which  he  could  com- 
municate with  his  comrades  of  the  patrol.  They 
would  not  have  been  true  Boy  Scouts  if  they  had  not 
before  now  learned  how  to  wigwag  with  flags,  or 
lanterns,  as  well  as  use  a  looking-glass  in  the  sun  in 
heliograph  telegraphy. 

And  so  Allan,  desirous  of  ascertaining  whether 
all  went  well  with  the  absent  chum,  was  now  start- 
ing out,  lantern  in  hand,  to  learn  whether  he  could 
get  in  communication  with  Bob. 

Possibly  some  of  Phin's  followers  might  be  in 
hiding  close  by,  and  witness  these  maneuvers  with 
astonishment,  not  unmixed  with  suspicion.  Thad 
concluded  that  it  would  be  best  to  take  the  bull  by 
the  horns.  If  he  confided  in  Old  Phin,  the  other 
was  apt  to  discount  the  news  when  told  by  his  men. 
You  remember  that  I  told  you,"  he  remarked, 
how  Boy  Scouts  are  taught  to  send  messages  by 
waving  flags,  just  as  they  do  in  real  armies ;  and  at 
night  time  by  means  of  lighted  lanterns.  Well,  we 
never  lose  a  chance  to  practice ;  and  the  boy  you  saw 
go  out  just  now  arranged  to  talk  with  the  one  who 
is  across  the  valley." 

"  Huh !  "  grunted  the  mountaineer ;  and  from 
that  Thad  concluded  that  he  had  allayed  any  sus- 
picions that  may  have  arisen  in  his  mind. 

**  H  you'd  care  to  see  how  it's  done,  why,  we  can 
walk  out,  and  watch  the  scout  who  has  the  lan- 


116  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

tern?  '^  the  patrol  leader  went  on  to  say;  though  se- 
cretly hoping  Old  Phin  might  not  evince  enough  in- 
terest to  disturb  himself. 

Sometimes  a  bold  move  serv^es  better  than  ex- 
treme caution.  It  seemed  so  in  this  case,  at  least, 
for  the  moonshiner,  after  making  a  slight  move,  as 
though  to  get  up,  appeared  to  think  better  of  it,  for 
he  settled  back  again. 

"  I  kin  understand  jest  'bout  how  it  air  dun, 
younker,"  he  said.  "  Now  tell  me  some  more  'bout 
how  yuh  larn  thet  thar  thing  o*  savin'  a  pal  thet's 
been  nigh  drownded,  or  else  cut  a  artery  in  his  leg 
with  a  ax.  I  reckon  now,  that's  'bout  the  neatest 
trick  I  done  ever  heard  on." 

Being  brim  full  of  the  subject,  which  always  ap- 
pealed to  him  more  than  he  could  tell,  the  young 
patrol  leader  immediately  launched  out  into  a  de- 
scription of  the  matters  that  seemed  to  have  deeply 
interested  even  this  rough  old  mountaineer. 

Then  he  went  a  step  further,  and  told  how  the 
scouts  entered  into  the  most  amusing,  as  well  as 
profitable,  competitions  among  themselves.  He  de- 
scribed a  water  boiling  test,  where  those  in  compe- 
tition are  given  just  three  matches,  and  with  an 
empt>^  tin  pail  in  hand,  start  at  a  signal  to  see  which 
one  can  build  his  fire,  fill  his  tin  vessel  at  least  two- 
thirds  full  of  water,  and  have  this  actually  boiling. 

Perhaps  that  old  moonshiner  never  spent  a  more 
interesting  hour  or  so  than  by  the  camp-fire  of  the 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  IIT 

Boy  Scouts ;  at  any  rate  he  certainly  could  not  loolc 
back  to  one  that  must  have  been  more  profitable  to 
him  in  every  way. 

Finally  he  arose  as  if  to  go;  and  about  the  same 
time  Allan  returned,  with  the  lighted  lantern  in  his 
hand. 

"  Did  yuh  git  him?  '*  asked  Old  Phin,  with  some 
show  of  eagerness. 

"  Yes,  we  held  quite  a  little  talk,  and  I  guess  he 
must  have  used  up  a  handful  of  matches  telling  me 
what  a  pleasant  time  he  had.  Right  now  he's  on 
his  way  to  camp,  and  ought  to  get  here  inside  of  an 
hour." 

Allan  said  this  as  though  there  could  not  be  any- 
thing to  conceal.  He  took  a  leaf  from  the  example 
set  by  Thad.  The  latter  knew  that  in  all  prob- 
ability there  had  been  more  to  the  wigwag  talk  than 
Allan  chose  to  state ;  but  he  was  willing  to  wait  until 
a  more  propitious  time  to  hear  it. 

Taken  in  all,  he  believed  they  had  come  through 
the  operation  of  baiting  Phin  Dady  much  better 
than  any  one  could  have  expected.  The  old  man 
was  interested  in  what  he  had  heard;  and  only  for 
the  fact  that  he  bore  a  deadly  hatred  for  tlie  family 
of  young  Bob  Quail,  they  would  have  little  to  fear 
from  the  king  of  the  moonshiners,  whose  influence 
among  the  other  mountaineers  was  such  that  he 
could  easily  sway  them  one  way  or  the  other  at  will. 

Thad  caught  a  wink  when  he  looked  into  the  face 


118  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

of  the  Maine  boy.  It  told  him  that  Allan  had  news 
to  tell,  which  Bob  had  sent  on  ahead,  knowing  how 
anxious  his  chums  would  be  to  hear  whether  he 
had  met  with  any  measure  of  success  or  not  in  his 
undertaking. 

When  Thad  turned  around  again  he  found  that 
Old  Phin  had  slipped  away,  taking  advantage  of 
their  attention  being  directed  for  a  minute  toward 
the  scout  who  had  just  come  into  camp  with  the 
lantern  swinging  at  his  side. 

And  Thad  heaved  a  sigh  of  genuine  relief  when 
he  found  that  this  was  so. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  RETURN   OF  THE  EIGHTH   SCOUT. 

"  He's  gone !  "  exclaimed  Bumpus ;  and  it  would 
have  been  hard  to  tell  whether  relief  or  regret  lay 
back  of  his  words;  for  some  of  the  boys,  forgetting 
the  peril  that  might  hang  over  the  head  of  Bob 
White,  did  the  moonshiner  know  of  his  presence, 
and  his  mission  to  the  Blue  Ridge,  only  considered 
the  entertainment  afforded  by  having  Old  Phin  at 
their  fire. 

"  And  I  guess  the  old  feller's  got  enough  informa- 
tion in  his  head  to  last  him  a  long  spell,"  remarked 
Giraffe. 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  119 

"  Say,  p'raps  he's  seriously  conslderin'  starting 
a  troop  of  Boy  Scouts  here  in  the  Blue  Ridge  coun- 
try/' suggested  Step  Hen,  who  sometimes  did  have 
brilliant  ideas  flash  through  his  brain. 

There  was  considerable  of  a  laugh  at  this  propo- 
sition, which  struck  the  boys  as  about  as  absurd  as 
anything  they  had  heard  for  a  long  time. 

"  Wonder  how  our  real  scoutmaster.  Dr.  Phil- 
ander Hobbs'd  like  to  take  the  job?  "  chuckled  Davy 
Jones.  "  He  thought  he  had  trouble  enough  on  his 
hands  when  he  ran  up  against  a  few  hard  cases, 
like  Giraffe  and  Step  Hen  here;  but  they'd  be  just 
pie  alongside  the  strappin'  mountain  kids  we've 
seen." 

"  Well,"  remarked  Thad,  "  you  never  can  tell 
what  might  happen.  Even  those  boys  have  got 
something  in  them  that  can  be  brought  out,  if  only 
one  knows  how  to  go  about  it.  Don't  you  forget, 
fellows,  that  some  of  the  greatest  men  this  country 
has  ever  known,  were  born  among  the  mountains. 
And  right  now  there  may  be  a  future  president  of 
the  United  States  within  ten  miles  of  where  we 
sit." 

"Hear!  hear!"  cried  Step  Hen,  pretending  to 
clap  his  hands  in  applause. 

"  Huh !  nearer  than  that,  mebbe,"  declared  Bum- 
pus,  mysteriously  swelling  out  his  chest  and  looking 
every  inch  the  hero ;  "  how  would  the  name  of 
Cornelius  Jasper  Hawtree  sound  to  you?     We've 


i( 


li 


120  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

never  had  a  President  Hawtree;  but  that  ain't  no 
reason  we  never  will,  is  it?    Tell  me  that." 
Give  it  up,"  sang  out  Davy  Jones. 

Anyhow,   it'd   sound  more  distinguished   than 
plain  Jones,"  retorted  Bumpus. 

"  My  name  isn't  Plain  Jones,  it's  David  Alex- 
ander Constantine  Josephus,  and  a  few  more  that, 
to  tell  the  honest  truth;  I've  forgot,"  the  other  went 
on. 

Thad  and  Allan  drew  apart  from  all  this  mimic 
warfare,  in  which  the  fun-loving  scouts  liked  to 
indulge  from  time  to  time. 

"  Then  you  did  talk  with  Bob  ? "  asked  dhe 
former,  with  some  show  of  eagerness  in  his  voice. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Allan,  "  it  was  great  fun  too. 
Waited  a  little  while  before  I  could  get  the  first  an- 
swer to  all  my  waving ;  but  in  the  end  I  saw  a  flash, 
like  a  match  had  been  struck,  and  then  we  got  in 
touch." 

"What  did  Bob  have  to  tell?"  asked  the  patrol 
leader. 

"  He  met  his  little  cousin,  all  right,  just  as  they 
had  arranged,"  Allan  went  on  to  say.  "  And  she 
must  have  told  him  something  that  has  made  our 
chum  wild  with  delight,  for  he  says  the  trip  paid 
him  twenty  times  over.  Just  what  it  was  he  didn't 
try  to  tell  me,  saying  it  would  have  to  keep  till  he 
got  to  camp." 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  121 

"  Well,  we  can  give  a  pretty  good  guess  what  it 
must  be,"  Thad  observed. 

"  You  mean  that  Bertha  has  looked,  and  made  a 
discovery  among  the  papers  in  her  guardian's  safe; 
is  that  it,  Thad  ?  " 

"  Just  about ;  but  we'll  have  to  quit  guessing,  and 
just  wait  till  he  comes  in,"  said  the  scoutmaster, 
W'ho  knew  just  how  to  take  a  grip  upon  himself,  and 
appear  patient,  where  some  of  the  other  boys  would 
have  fretted,  and  worried  greatly. 

"  He  oughtn't  to  be  more'n  an  hour,  at  the  most," 
suggested  Allan. 

"  Not  unless  something  happens  to  him,  which  we 
hope  it  won't,"  replied  Thad. 

"  You  don't  think  now,  do  you,"  demanded  the 
other,  "  that  Old  Phin  might  take  a  notion  to  way- 
lay him,  just  to  have  a  look  at  the  eighth  scout?  " 

"  I've  thought  of  that,  but  made  up  my  mind 
that  so  far  the  moonshiner  can  have  no  suspicion 
who  Bob  is.  And  that  being  the  case,  Allan,  you 
can  see  he  wouldn't  be  apt  to  bother  himself  to  lie 
in  wait  for  him.  I  hope  not,  anyhow.  It'd  sure 
upset  some  of  the  plans  we're  trying  so  hard  to 
fix.  And  it  might  spell  trouble  with  a  big  T  for 
Bob." 

"  He's  a  good  fellow,  all  right,"  remarked  Allan, 
not  in  the  least  jealous  because  his  particular  chum 
seemed  drawn  more  than  ever  toward  the  Southern 
boy. 


122  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

"That's  right,"  answered  Thad,  quickly;  "and 
we've  just  got  to  stand  back  of  him,  no  matter  what 
happens.  I  guess  that  if  some  of  the  boys'  parents 
had  had  even  half  a  suspicion  that  we'd  run  up 
against  such  a  combination  as  this,  they  wouldn't 
have  given  their  consent  so  easily  to  our  coming !  " 

"  I  suppose  that  would  have  been  the  case  with 
Bumpus  and  several  others,"  the  Maine  boy  went  on; 
"  but  I've  seen  so  much  of  this  sort  of  thing  up  in 
the  pine  wood  that  it  isn't  new  to  me.  Not  that  it 
doesn't  give  me  a  thrill,  all  right,  whenever  I  think 
of  what  we're  doing  here,  and  how  we  had  that 
man  sitting  at  our  fire,  the  worst  moonshiner  of  the 
whole  Blue  Ridge,  I  guess.  And  Thad,  you  did 
give  him  a  treat,  the  way  you  talked.  I  could  see 
that  he  took  considerable  stock  in  all  you  said.  And 
you  opened  his  eyes  some,  believe  me,  with  all  the 
wonderful  things  you  reeled  off." 

"Wonderful  to  him,  Allan,  but  the  plain  every 
day  truth  to  the  rest  of  us.  But  I've  always  heard 
that  there  is  a  spark  of  good  even  in  the  worst  man 
living;  and  perhaps  his  weakness  for  boys  may  be 
the  soft  spot  in  Old  Phin  Dady,  the  moonshiner's 
heart." 

They  presently  went  back  to  the  others,  and  joined 
in  the  general  conversation,  which,  quite  naturally 
enough,  was  pretty  much  confined  to  the  visit  of 
the  mountaineer,  what  he  had  spoken  about,  his  sus- 
picions, and  above  all  the  strange  interest  he  had 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  123 

taken  in  Thad's  account  of  the  Boy  Scout  move- 
ment. 

"  Hello !  there !  "  said  a  voice ;  and  they  saw  Bob 
White  stalk  into  camp. 

One  look  at  the  face  of  the  Southern  boy  told 
Thad  that  he  had  indeed  made  a  profitable  trip,  for 
he  saw  a  smile  there,  such  as  had  seldom  marked  it 
in  the  past 

They  quickly  made  room  for  him  by  the  fire; 
while  several  of  the  boys  scouted  around,  to  make 
sure  that  no  spies  lurked  in  the  undergrowth,  listen- 
ing to  all  that  was  said. 

The  fire  crackled  merrily,  and  looked  very  cheer- 
ful, as  the  ring  of  faces  turned  inquiringly  toward 
Bob  White.  He  knew  they  were  anxious  to  hear 
what  he  had  accomplished;  and,  as  there  were  no 
longer  any  secrets  to  be  kept  from  the  balance  of 
the  patrol,  all  having  been  taken  into  his  confidence, 
the  Southern  boy  hesitated  no  longer. 

"  I  found  no  trouble  getting  across  the  valley," 
he  began ;  "  though  once  I  had  to  lie  low,  when  two 
men  passed  by.  From  what  I  heard  them  say,  I 
knew  they  were  some  of  the  moonshiners,  and  that 
they  had  been  ordered  to  take  up  positions  some- 
where, and  stand  guard.  They  seemed  to  be  all  at 
sea  about  the  nature  of  the  danger,  and  yet  when 
Old  Phin  gave  the  alarm,  they  knew  what  they  had 
to  do." 

"  We  ought  to  tell  you  in  the  start.  Bob,"  said 


124  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

Thad,  "  that  we  had  Phin  Dady  sitting  right  where 
you  are  now;  and  that  he  stayed  more  than  a  full 
hour  in  camp." 

"  Yes,"  broke  in  Bumpus,"  and  filling  up  on  the 
stuff  Thad  gave  him,  all  about  the  heaps  of  things 
Boy  Scouts  are  supposed  to  do.  He  liked  it,  too, 
sure  as  you  live.  Old  Phin  did ;  and  we  reckon  he's 
got  a  sneakin'  notion  of  startin*  a  troop  right  here, 
some  fine  day." 

Bob  White  appeared  to  be  astonished,  and  de- 
manded to  hear  the  whole  story  before  he  went  on 
with  his  own  experiences.  This  was  presently  told, 
and  the  one  who  had  been  absent  at  the  time  looked 
thoughtful  when  he  heard  the  conclusion. 

"  It  may  work  for  good,  who  knows  ?  "  he  re- 
marked, as  though  speaking  to  himself.  "  He's  a 
strange  man,  is  Old  Phin ;  a  hard  case  in  most  ways ; 
but  p'raps  now  he  has  got  a  soft  spot  in  his  flinty 
old  heart  for  boys.  He's  a  daughter  of  his  own  but 
no  sons.  And  that  kind  of  men  generally  take  to 
boys  best." 

"If  they  do,  it's  because  they  don't  know  what 
boys  are  like,"  suggested  Bumpus. 

"  Now  go  on  and  tell  us  what  you  did,"  observed 
Thad.  "  Was  your  cousin  at  the  place  you  told  her 
about?" 

"Yes,  it  was  a  little  arbor  in  the  garden  that  I 
knew  well,"  remarked  Bob,  tenderly.  "  She  was 
right  glad  to   see  me  again,   suh;   and  while  she 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  125 

wouldn^t  tell  me  all  I  wanted  to  know,  I*m  mighty 
sure  Reuben  Sparks  is  cruel  to  her.  She  has  been 
anything  but  happy;  and  always  dreamin'  of  the 
time  when  I'd  come  back  to  see  her,  and  take  her 
to  my  mother/' 

"  Did  she  do  what  you  asked  her  ?  "  asked  Thad, 
seeing  that  Bob  was  apt  to  lose  the  thread  of  his 
narrative  in  letting  his  thoughts  stray  back  to  his 
meeting  with  little  Bertha,  whom  he  loved  like  a 
sister. 

"  She  did,  suh,  took  a  chance  to  peep  through 
some  of  the  papers  in  the  safe  of  Mistah  Sparks; 
and  believe  me,  she  gave  me  a  shock  when  she  said 
there  was  one  hidden  in  a  little  compartment,  that 
seemed  to  have  been  signed  by  her  own  father.  I 
asked  her  some  more  questions,  and  I'm  almost 
sure  that  it's  a  will  which  Reuben  Sparks  kept  hid- 
den away,  but  which  something  or  other  has  pre- 
vented him  from  destroying  these  four  years  and 
more,  since  my  uncle  died." 

"If  you  only  could  get  that  in  your  hands,  and 
it  turned  out  to  be  all  you  think,  seems  to  me  you 
might  do  about  what  you  wanted  with  old  Reuben," 
Thad  remarked. 

"  Given  another  day,  and  good  luck,  suh,  and  I 
surely  expect  to  have  the  same  in  my  possession. 
Then  I  can  shape  my  plans ;  but  one  thing  sure,  my 
cousin  will  go  back  to  Cranford  with  me !  "  and 


126  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

Bob  smote  the  jpalm  of  his  left  hand  with  his 
doubled  right  fist,  to  emphasize  his  remark. 

No  one  seemed  a  particle  sleepy.  Indeed,  they 
had  never  been  more  wide  awake  in  their  lives. 
Even  Davy  Jones,  filled  with  the  spirit  of  mischief 
that  seemed  to  take  possession  of  him  every  once 
in  so  often,  climbed  the  tree  under  which  they  had 
built  their  camp-fire,  and  swung  himself  from  limb 
to  limb;  now  with  his  hands  but  just  as  frequently 
by  his  toes ;  as  though  he  wanted  to  prove  the  truth 
of  what  that  learned  professor  by  the  name  of 
Darwin  always  declared,  that  we  were  descended 
from  a  race  of  monkeys. 

The  rest  were  lying  around  in  the  most  com- 
fortable attitudes  they  could  find. 

"Oh!  say,  come  down  out  of  that,  Davy;  you 
make  me  tired  with  your  everlasting  pranks.  Take 
a  drop,  won't  you,  please?  "  called  out  Bumpus. 

Hardly  had  he  spoken  than  there  was  a  whoop, 
and  Davy  landed  squarely  in  the  middle  of  the  now 
smouldering  fire,  sending  the  brands  to  the  right 
and  to  the  left  in  a  hurricane  of  sparks. 

The  seven  scouts  threw  themselves  backward  to 
avoid  contact  with  the  scattered  red  embers,  while 
Davy  scrambled  out  of  his  fiery  bed  with  furious 
alacrity. 


IN  THE  BLUE  KIDGB  127i 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE  FLICKERING  TORCH  TALK. 

"  Put  me  out !  somebody  give  me  a  rub  down  the 
back !    I'm  on  fire !  " 

Nobody  doubted  Davy's  excited  words,  as  he 
danced  wildly  about,  slapping  first  at  a  smouldering 
spark  on  the  right  leg  of  his  khaki  trousers;  and 
then  furiously  attacking  another  burning  spot  on 
the  sleeve  of  his  coat;  only  to  throw  his  campaign 
hat  down,  and  jump  on  it,  under  the  belief  that  it 
was  threatened  with  immediate  destruction. 

Some  of  the  other  scouts  had  managed  to  scram- 
ble to  their  feet  about  this  time;  and  seeing  that 
they  were  not  in  danger  themselves,  could  afford  to 
lend  a  hand  in  order  to  save  the  garments  of  the  un- 
lucky Jones  boy. 

"  Now  your  suit's  a  fine  sight! "  ejaculated  Step 
Hen. 

"  Perfectly  dreadful! "  remarked  Smithy,  with  a 
shudder;  for  to  the  mind  of  this  member  of  the 
patrol,  with  his  ideas  of  what  neatness  stood  for,  no 
punishment  could  have  exceeded  such  a  catastrophe 
as  the  one  that  had  overtaken  Davy. 


128  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

But  after  finding  that  his  neck  had  not  been  dis- 
located by  his  fall;  and  that,  while  there  would  be 
a  few  holes  here  and  there  about  his  clothes,  they 
were  still  fairly  presentable,  Davy  only  grinned  with 
his  customary  good  nature. 

"  You  certain  sure  are  the  limit ;  "  declared  Bum- 
pus,  surveying  the  other  with  a  frown  on  his  rosy 
face.  "  Better  grow  a  tail,  and  be  done  with  it. 
Then  you  could  take  your  monkey-shines  to  the 
woods,  where  they'd  be  appreciated." 

"  Now  that's  what  I  call  the  unkindest  cut  of  all,'' 
replied  Davy.  "  I  leave  it  to  the  crowd  if  I  wasn't 
only  obeyin'  orders?  Didn't  you  call  out  to  me  to 
comedown?    Well,  didn't  I  ?  " 

*^  Huh !  but  you  needn't  a  spilt  our  fire  that  way," 
grumbled  Bumpus,  who  however  was  secretly  just 
as  much  amused  over  the  affair  as  any  of  the  rest. 
"  When  I  say  '  come  down  '  you  needn't  think  I 
mean  for  you  to  obey  as  fast  as  that.  Reckon  you 
must  a  tried  some  dodge  that  wasn't  as  easy  as  it 
looked,  and  you  lost  your  grip." 

"  Here's  what  did  it  for  me,"  said  Davy,  stooping, 
and  picking  up  a  piece  of  broken  limb,  which  Thad 
remembered  seeing  fall  at  the  same  time  the  boy 
scattered  the  embers  of  the  fire.  "  Rotten  as  punk, 
and  went  back  on  me.  But  don't  you  believe  for  a 
minute  because  I  was  hangin'  head  down  right  then, 
I  struck  that  wa}^  Easiest  thing  in  the  world  to 
turn  a  flip-flap  in  the  air.     I  sat  down  in  that  fire; 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  129 

that's  why  my  pants  got  the  worst  of  the  burns. 
And  say,  do  I  limp  when  I  walk,  because  I'm  feel- 
ing a  little  sore  ?  " 

*'  Not  much  more'n  usual,"  remarked  Bumpus, 
cheerfully. 

This  ridiculous  adventure  on  the  part  of  Davy 
set  them  all  to  talking  again.  Of  course  previous 
efforts  in  the  same  line,  and,  carried  out  by  the  sam^ 
artist,  had  to  be  hauled  out  of  their  concealment, 
and  made  to  do  duty  again,  with  sundry  additions; 
for  what  story  can  there  be  but  what  is  strength- 
ened every  time  it  is  told? 

So  many  strange  things  were  taking  place  all 
around  them  that  it  was  little  wonder  the  boys  de- 
clared they  did  not  feel  a  bit  sleepy,  even  when  the 
patrol  leader  told  them  they  ought  to  lie  down  and 
get  some  rest. 

"  And  when  everything  else  fails,"  declared  Step 
Hen,  "  why,  Davy,  here,  can  always  be  counted  on 
to  furnish  music  for  the  band." 

'*  Yes,  waltz  music,"  added  Giraffe ;  "  anyway, 
that's  what  he  thought  he  was  giving  us,  the  way 
he  kicked  around.  P'raps,  now,  he  believed  he  was 
doing  the  turkey  trot,  all  by  himself." 

But  to  all  these  taunts  Davy  made  no  response. 
Truth  to  tell  he  seemed  to  be  the  sleepiest  member 
of  the  set,  and  was  seen  to  yawn  numerous  times. 
In  this  way  he  managed  to  start  some  of  the  others 


130  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

going,  so  that  by  degrees  they  were  all  exhibiting 
evidences  of  wanting  to  give  up. 

Then  there  came  the  job  of  trying  to  make  them- 
selves fairly  comfortable.  They  had  considered 
this  matter  before,  and  settled  upon  plans  for  the 
campaign.  There  would  be  no  cabin  roof  over  their 
heads  on  this  night,  only  the  branches  of  the  big 
tree;  but  since  there  seemed  little  likelihood  of  rain 
falling,  they  did  not  think  they  would  miss  this. 

It  was  the  bed  part  that  gave  them  the  most 
trouble.  They  had  scoured  the  immediate  vicinity, 
and  each  scout  had  secured  whatever  he  could  lay 
his  hands  on  in  the  shape  of  weeds,  or  grass,  or  even 
small  branches  from  the  tree — anything  to  make  the 
ground  seem  a  bit  softer  to  his  body. 

One  liked  this  spot,  while  another  had  entirely 
different  ideas ;  but  coached  by  Allan,  who  knew  all 
about  sleeping  out  without  shelter,  they  one  and  all 
kept  their  feet  toward  the  fire,  because  that  was  the 
part  first  affected  by  the  cooling  night  air. 

Several  of  them  were  already  stretched  out,  for 
while  they  had  arranged  a  system  of  sentry  duties, 
Allan  was  to  take  the  first  spell. 

He  and  Thad  stood  looking  at  the  actions  of  the 
other  scouts  as  they  moved  their  rude  beds  here  and 
there,  striving  to  find  spots  where  there  were  no 
roots  sticking  up,  that  would  poke  into  their  sides 
or  backs. 

**  They're  a  great  bunch,  all  told  ?  "  remarked 


IN  THE  BLUE  KIDGE  131 

Allan,  with  a  wide  smile,  as  he  saw  Bumpus  slily 
stealing  some  of  the  bed  of  Step  Hen,  whose  back 
was  toward  him,  adding  it,  handfuls  at  a  time,  to 
his  own  scanty  stock. 

"  The  finest  ever,"  added  Thad,  warmly.  "  I 
don't  see  how  we  could  have  improved  on  this  pa- 
trol, if  we'd  searched  through  Cranford  with  a 
fine  tooth  comb.  Every  one  of  them  has  his  fail- 
ings, just  as  all  of  us  do;  but  they're  as  loyal  and 
happy-go-lucky  a  lot  of  boys  as  ever  any  one  knew. 
And  Allan,  I  expect  we'll  have  some  glorious  times 
ahead  of  us,  if  we  go  up  into  Maine  with  you,  later 
on.  That  hasn't  been  fully  settled  yet,  you  under- 
stand; the  question  of  expense  has  to  be  met,  as 
well  as  getting  away  from  our  school,  if  it  takes  up 
by  the  middle  of  September.  But  we're  all  hoping, 
and  pulling  for  it  just  as  hard  as  we  can." 

"  Won't  it  be  great  now,"  Allan  went  on  to  say, 
"  if  Bob  does  find  that  paper  he  thinks  Reuben's 
been  keeping  all  these  years,  when  he  hadn't  ought 
to  have  let  it  stay  unburned  a  minute?  What  d'ye 
suppose  makes  a  smart  scamp  like  that  ever  do  such 
a  silly  thing  ?  " 

"  I  couldn't  tell  you,  only  I've  heard  my  guardian 
say  more  than  a  few  times  that  the  cleverest  scoun- 
drel is  apt  to  make  a  blunder.  If  that's  true  then  I 
guess  this  Reuben  made  his  when  he  kept  that  paper, 
just  to  look  at  it  once  in  a  while,  and  shake  hands 
with  himself  over  his  cuteness." 


132  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

"  Will  vou  take  a  little  stroll  around  with  me  be* 
fore  lying  down?"  asked  Allan,  who  was  to  have 
the  first  watch. 

"  Might  as  well,"  returned  the  other,  casting  a 
glance  over  toward  the  balance  of  the  patrol,  still 
squirming  more  or  less,  as  they  tried  to  make  com- 
fortable nests  for  themselves.  "  By  that  time, 
perhaps  they'll  be  asleep,  and  I  can  drop  off  without 
being  made  to  listen  to  Bumpus'  complaining,  when 
Step  Hen  takes  back  his  stolen  goods.  Come  along, 
then,  Allan." 

They  first  of  all  walked  back  along  the  road  in 
the  direction  whence  they  had  come  to  the  strange 
valley  where  Reuben  lived,  a  half-way  station  be- 
tween the  secret  haunts  of  the  moonshiners,  and  civ- 
ilization. 

**  What's  that  up  yonder ;  looks  to  me  like  a  torch 
moving?  "  remarked  Thad,  as  he  elevated  his  head, 
so  as  to  gaze  upward,  along  the  face  of  the  moun- 
tain. 

"  It  is  a  torch,  right  you  are,"  Allan  went  on  to 
say ;  "  somebody  must  be  picking  his  way  along 
among  those  rocks.  I'd  think  he'd  sure  need  a 
good  light  on  such  a  black  night  as  this." 

"  But  I  guess  you're  wrong  about  that,"  Thad 
added,  quickly ;  "  see,  he's  waving  his  light,  now 
back,  and  again  forward,  just  so  many  times. 
There,  he  gives  it  a  downward  flash  that  must  mean 
the  end  of  a  word;  and  then  he  goes  en." 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  133 

"  Why,  to  be  sure,  it's  as  plain  as  anything  that 
he's  signalling  to  somebody  on  the  other  mountain. 
Yes,  Thad,  look  there,  and  you  can  see  another  light 
move  in  answer  to  that  first  one." 

"  Even  that  don't  seem  to  be  all,"  remarked  the 
patrol  leader,  seriously.  "  Here's  a  third  light 
back  of  us;  and  upon  my  word  I  can  see  a  fourth 
ever  so  far  off." 

"  Looks  like  all  the  moonshiners  in  the  mountains 
might  be  out  in  force,  and  having  a  jolly  old  talk 
among  themselves.  Wonder  what  they  find  to  talk 
about?"    Allan  hazarded. 

"  Chances  are  ten  to  one  it's  us  they're  discuss- 
ing," said  Thad.  "  Old  Phin  like  as  not,  is  giving 
his  orders.  Thought  he  grinned  a  little  when  I  was 
telling  how  scouts  communicated  with  each  other. 
He  knew  all  about  that,  the  sly  old  rascal  did;  and 
this  has  been  going  on  for  years  and  years  before 
Boy  Scouts  were  ever  heard  of." 

"  Thad,  they're  all  around  us ;  we're  surrounded 
by  these  moonshiners,  with  their  handy  guns;  and  if 
Old  Phin  says  we've  got  to  stay  up  here  in  the  moun- 
tains, why,  it's  going  to  be  a  case  of  being  marooned 
for  us.  We  don't  dare  run,  because  they'd  take  that 
for  a  sure  evidence  of  guilt,  and  pepper  us  for  all 
that's  out.  So,  there's  nothing  to  be  done  but  stick 
it  out,  seems  to  me." 

"  Well,  we  ought  to  be  satisfied,"  remarked  Thad, 
grimly.    "  Marooned  or  not,  it  was  our  intention  to 


134  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

stay  around  here  until  Bob  had  settled  those  two 
matters  of  importance  that  fetched  him  down  this 
way." 

"  Sure,  I'd  pretty  nigh  forgotten  that,"  declared 
the  Maine  boy,  more  cheerfully.  "  So  let  the  moun- 
tain men  shake  their  blessed  old  torches  at  each 
other  all  they  choose,  and  tell  how  the  trap  is  to  be 
made  snug  as  all  get-out;  we'll  just  play  the  inno- 
cent, and  try  to  find  out  what  we  want  to  know. 
Shall  we  go  back  to  camp  now,  Thad? 

"  Just  as  you  say,"  returned  the  other.  "  Noth- 
ing more  to  see  out  this  way.  We  know  that  Old 
Phin  isn't  ready  to  look  on  us  as  friends  yet.  He 
can't  get  over  the  suspicions  the  sight  of  our  khaki 
uniforms  woke  up  in  his  soul.  But  so  far  we  hadn't 
ought  to  complain  with  the  way  things  have  gone. 
Hope  it'll  keep  on  to  the  end ;  and  that  our  Bob  will 
get  all  he  aims  for,  find  his  daddy,  and  take  the  little 
girl  cousin  back  to  Cranford  with  him." 

"  And  if  it  all  goes  to  the  good,  say,  pVaps  we 
won't  have  a  feather  to  stick  in  our  hats,  all  right, 
Thad!  We'll  never  get  over  talking  about  this 
thing.  But  will  it  go  straight ;  that's  the  question  ?  " 
"  You  never  can  tell,"  replied  the  other,  softly, 
and  encouragingly.  "  We're  going  to  do  our  level 
best;  and  leave  the  rest.  Good-night,  Allan;  wake 
Giraffe  at  the  end  of  an  hour,  and  caution  him  to 
keep  a  good  watch.  I  come  next  in  line,  you  know." 
With  these  parting  words  Thad  stepped  softly 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  135 

into  camp,  glanced  at  the  various  forms  of  the 
scouts  stretched  in  favorite  positions,  some  even  ly- 
ing on  their  backs ;  and  then  with  a  smile  the  patrol 
leader  lay  down  upon  the  rude  bed  he  had  made  for 
himself,  out  of  such  material  as  offered. 

In  five  minutes  he  was  asleep,  and  forgetful  of 
all  the  strange  events  that  had  marked  their  strenu- 
ous hike  into  the  mountains  of  the  Old  North  State. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

CLIMBING    THE    MOUNTAIN. 

"  Hey  !  what's  all  this  mean ;  morning,  and  no- 
body woke  me  up,  to  let  me  stand  my  trick  at  the 
wheel!  I  don't  think  you're  treatin'  me  fair,  that's 
what,  fellers !  "  and  Bumpus  Hawtree  sat  up,  rub- 
bing his  eyes  as  he  looked  around  him  in  wonder. 

The  fact  of  the  matter  was  it  had  been  decided 
that  they  could  get  on  very  well  without  calling  on 
the  fat  boy  to  stand  sentry  duty.  Most  of  them 
knew  how  unreliable  Bumpus  was  when  it  came  to 
such  things,  no  matter  how  sincere  his  desire  to 
please  might  be;  and  Thad  had  secretly  arranged 
to  leave  him  out. 

And  so  Bumpus  had  not  known  a  single  thing  of 
what  was  going  on  until,  smelling  the  delightful 


136  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

fumes  of  boiling  coffee,  he  had  opened  his  eyes  to 
find  most  of  his  comrades  moving  about,  and  break- 
fast well  on  the  way,  under  the  supervision  of  Gi- 
raffe and  Allan. 

"  The  whole  blessed  night  gone,  and  me  a  sleepin* 
for  all  get-out,'*  complained  the  stout  member  of 
the  patrol,  as  he  climbed  to  his  feet,  and  stretched. 
"  Well,  it  looks  good,  anyway.  Nothin'  happened, 
after  all.  Nobody  ain't  been  kidnapped  by  the 
moonshiners,  have  they,  because  I  can  count — what, 
there  don't  seem  to  be  only  seven  here !  Somebody's 
gone,  and  yet  I  don't  miss  any  familiar  face." 

"  Oh !  you  only  forgot  to  count  yourself.  Bum- 
pus,"  laughed  Thad. 

"  Well,  that  goes  to  show  how  modest  I  am,  you 
see,"  chuckled  the  other,  as  he  started  toward  the 
spring  to  get  the  sleep  out  of  his  eyes  by  the  use  of 
some  cold  water. 

"  Yes,  as  modest  as  a  spring  violet,"  sang  out 
Step  Hen;  "but  how  about  that  President  Cor- 
nelius Jasper  Hawtree  business?  Seems  to  me  any 
feller  that  hopes  to  assume  that  high  office  ain't  so 
very  retiring  after  all." 

But  Bumpus  refused  to  be  drawn  into  any  dis- 
cussion of  his  merits  as  a  candidate,  at  least  so  early 
in  the  morning.  He  came  back  presently,  asking 
for  a  towel,  which  he  had  forgotten  to  carry  along 
with  him.  But  as  breakfast  was  announced  just 
about  that  time,  everything  else  was  forgotten  in 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  137 

the  pleasant  task  of  appeasing  their  clamorous  ap- 
petites. 

While  they  ate  they  talked,  and  many  were  the 
schemes  invented  by  some  of  the  ingenious  scouts, 
all  looking  to  the  undoing  of  the  enemy,  as  they 
chose  to  consider  the  combination  of  Reuben  Sparks 
and  Old  Phin  Dady. 

Bob  asked  that  they  remain  over  one  more  night 
in  that  camp,  and  there  was  not  a  dissenting  voice 
raised.  They  were  fairly  comfortable,  and  their 
haversacks  still  held  a  certain  amount  of  food; 
though  Thad  did  say  some  of  them  ought  to  go 
skirmishing  in  the  direction  of  the  houses  across 
the  valley,  to  see  if  there  was  a  chance  for  buying 
fresh  eggs ;  breakfast  bacon ;  salt  pork ;  or  even  grits, 
as  the  finer  grade  of  hominy  is  universally  called 
throughout  the  entire  South. 

As  for  Bob  and  himself,  Thad  had  laid  out  a  little 
campaign  for  the  day.  He  believed  that  it  might 
pay  them  to  climb  up  the  side  of  the  mountain.  This 
would  be  looked  upon  by  any  of  Old  Phin's  fol- 
lowers, should  they  see  the  boys,  as  in  keeping  with 
what  the  patrol  leader  had  told  the  moonshiner  about 
the  doings  and  ambitions  of  Boy  Scouts.  There 
need  not  be  anything  suspicious  about  such  a  move, 
when  Thad  had  time  and  again  declared  that  one 
of  the  main  objects  of  their  selecting  this  part  of 
the  country  for  their  hike,  had  been  the  desire  to 
climb  mountains. 


138  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

As  to  the  benefits  to  be  gained,  they  could  at  least 
have  a  good  birdseye  view  of  the  entire  region,  the 
queer  bowl-shaped  little  valley,  at  the  further  end 
of  which  nestled  the  pretentious  house  of  Reuben 
Sparks,  and  the  nearby  cabins;  as  well  as  the  back 
trail. 

Besides,  possibly  they  might  get  some  sort  of 
information  with  regard  to  what  the  moonshiners 
were  doing.  Most  of  these  men  lived  in  the  little 
ramshackle  cabins  they  had  occasionally  passed  on 
the  mountain  road;  where  a  few  hens,  a  razor-back 
hog  or  two,  and  possibly  a  slab-sided  mule,  consti- 
tuted the  sole  possessions  of  the  poor  whites.  But 
then,  others  doubtless  had  homes  deeper  in  the 
depths  of  the  great  elevations  that  reared  their 
rocky  heads  heavenward.  These  were  the  parties 
who,  like  Old  Phin  himself,  were  in  demand  by  the 
authorities,  and  who  wanted  to  take  as  few  chances 
of  arrest  as  possible. 

No  revenue  men  could  very  easily  come  into  that 
well- watched  region  without  the  keen  eyes  of  a 
mountaineer  noticing  him.  And  often  the  crack  of 
a  rifle  would  be  the  first  sign  the  daring  man  might 
have  that  he  was  discovered. 

Bob  was  only  too  glad  of  a  chance  to  get  off  in 
the  company  of  Thad.  He  wanted  to  talk  over  mat- 
ters with  the  other  very  much,  and  find  out  just 
what  the  patrol  leader  thought  about  the  situation. 

So,  as  they  climbed  steadily,  though  slowly,  up- 


IN  THE  BLUE  EIDGE  139 

ward,  they  chatted  in  low  tones.  Thad  had  warned 
his  comrade  that  they  must  imagine  an  enemy  back 
of  every  tree,  and  act  accordingly,  so  as  not  to  be- 
tray themselves  by  unwise  talk. 

It  was  rough  going.  Plenty  of  times  they  had  to 
pull  themselves  up  by  main  muscular  strength,  over 
some  rocky  obstruction.  Then  again,  perhaps  they 
would  have  it  comparatively  easy  for  a  brief  in- 
terval. 

"  Here's  a  plain  trail  leading  upward,"  remarked 
Thad,  whose  eyes  had  been  on  the  lookout  all  the 
time.  "  Suppose  we  follow  it  some.  Chances  are 
it'll  be  easier  going,  because  whoever  lives  up  here 
would  know  the  softest  road." 

"  That's  true,"  assented  Bob;  "but  we'd  best  not 
keep  on  this  same  trail  too  long." 

"  Why  not?  "  asked  the  other,  looking  around  at 
his  chum. 

"  You  must  know  that  it  sure  leads,  sooner  or 
later,  to  some  hidden  cabin  of  a  man  who's  got  some 
pretty  good  reason  for  keeping  away  from  the 
beaten  road." 

"  Yes,  I  guessed  that  the  first  thing ;  and  I  sup- 
pose you  mean  he'd  feel  angry  some  if  he  saw  two 
fellows  in  uniform  following  his  trail  ?  "  Thad  sug- 
gested. 

"  Angry — well,  that  hardly  covers  the  ground," 
chuckled  Bob.  "  When  these  mountain  men  don't 
like  a  thing  they  start  to  shooting  right  off  the 


140  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

handle.  Never  waste  time,  suh,  in  asking  questions ; 
they  judge  things  as  they  see  them,  and  act  accord- 
ingly. And  believe  me,  Thad,  when  their  guns 
speak,  generally  something  goes  down." 

"  Well,  on  the  whole  I  think  what  you  said  carries 
so  much  weight  with  me,  Bob,  that  I've  lost  pretty 
much  all  interest  in  this  same  trail.  It  don't  look 
near  so  attractive  as  it  did;  and  I  wouldn't  be  sur- 
prised if  we'd  make  better  time  just  keeping  on 
straight  up  the  face  of  the  old  hill." 

They  looked  at  each  other,  and  laughed  softly,  as 
though  it  was  mutually  understood  what  meaning 
Thad  intended  to  convey  back  of  his  words. 

All  the  same  the  dangerous  beaten  track  was  im- 
mediately forsaken,  and  once  more  they  set  out  to 
climb  straight  upwards.  Occasionally  Bob,  who 
seemed  more  at  home  in  this  thing  than  his  com- 
panion, as  he  had  lived  among  the  mountains  most 
of  his  young  life;  would  discover  that  by  taking  a 
side  cut  they  could  avoid  a  hard  climb,  and  in  that 
event  the  direct  line  was  changed  to  an  oblique  one. 

The  view  was  at  times  a  fine  one,  with  a  stretch 
of  the  wild  country  spread  out  before  them  like  a 
panorama.  Then  again  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour  or 
more  they  would  be  unable  to  see  anything,  on 
account  of  the  formation  of  the  mountainside,  or  it 
might  be  the  presence  of  thick  foliage  on  the  small 
trees  growing  in  profusion  all  around  them. 

"  So  far  we  haven't  seen  the  first  sign  of  a  living 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  141 

thing?*'  remarked  Thad,  when  they  halted  to  get 
their  breath. 

"  That's  a  fact,  suh,"  agreed  Bob  White,  "  but  we 
mustn't  make  up  our  minds  that  we  haven't  been  fol- 
lowed and  watched  at  all  times.  These  mountain 
men  can  climb  like  goats,  suh.  It  would  make  you 
stare  to  see  one  of  them  go  up  a  cliff  that  neither  of 
us  could  dream  of  climbing.  They  could  keep  us  in 
sight  right  along,  and  believe  me,  we  would  never 
know  a  thing  about  it." 

"  I  can  easily  understand  that,  Bob.  But  it's  some 
wilder  up  here  than  ever  I  believed  possible.  I  saw 
squirrels  in  plenty  as  we  came  along;  some  birds 
flushed  from  alongside  that  bank  that  must  have 
been  partridges;  and  right  here's  a  bunch  of 
feathers,  showing  where  some  animal  had  a  fine 
supper  not  long  since." 

Thad  dropped  down  beside  the  telltale  feathers 
that  marked  the  end  of  a  game  bird,  and  seemed  to 
be  examining  the  ground. 

A  minute  later  he  looked  up. 

"  I'm  not  as  dead  sure  about  this  thing  as  Allan 
would  be,"  Thad  remarked ;  "  but  it  doesn't  look  like 
fox  tracks  to  me.  The  claws  are  too  well  defined; 
and  I'm  of  the  opinion  that  it  might  have  been  a 
wildcat,  if  you  happen  to  have  such  beasts  here  in 
the  heart  of  the  Blue  Ridge." 

"  I  reckon  we  do,  suh,  and  mighty  fierce  fellows 
too,"  the  Southern  lad  made  answer  promptly ;  "  I've 


142  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

myself  met  with  one  when  out  hunting,  and  got  him 
too,  though  he  gave  me  a  heap  of  trouble;  and  I 
was  sore  from  the  scratches  a  whole  week  or  so. 
No  doubt  you're  right,  and  it  was  a  cat;  though  I'm 
surprised  that  he  ate  his  catch  on  the  ground,  instead 
of  in  the  crotch  of  a  tree." 

"  Perhaps  he  was  too  hungry  to  wait ;  or  the  bird 
tasted  so  good  he  just  had  to  pitch  in  right  away," 
suggested  Thad,  picking  up  one  of  the  feathers,  and 
sticking  it  in  the  cord  of  his  campaign  hat,  boy 
fashion. 

"  It's  getting  pretty  nigh  dinner  time,"  observed 
Bob,  as  he  felt  for  the  package  of  food  he  had 
thrust  into  one  of  his  pockets  before  starting  out, 
upon  the  suggestion  of  the  patrol  leader,  who  did 
not  know  just  how  long  a  time  they  might  be  gone. 

"  Yes,  and  I  supose  we've  come  up  about  as  far  as 
we  ought,"  Thad  added,  himself  feeling  the  vigorous 
climb  the  more  because  his  muscles  were  not  used 
to  anything  of  that  sort.  "  So,  let's  drop  down 
right  where  we  are.  It's  a  good  enough  lunching 
place.     The  cat  thought  so,  you  can  see." 

They  soon  settled  in  comfortable  places,  each 
with  a  tree  to  lean  his  back  against  while  he  munched 
the  dry  sandwiches  that  had  been  hurriedly  put  to- 
gether, a  little  potted  ham  between  crackers,  with  a 
slice  of  cheese  thrown  in  for  good  measure. 

The  sun  felt  warm  overhead,  but  the  atmosphere 
at  this  altitude  was  bracing  and  refreshing  indeed. 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  143 

as  mountain  air  always  is.  The  boys,  as  they  ate, 
talked  incessantly,  covering  the  ground  of  what  they 
hoped  to  accomplish,  if  fortune  were  only  kind 
enough  to  favor  them,  and  the  moonshiners  to  allow 
them  to  leave  the  mountains  in  peace. 

Bob  was  explaining  that  after  all  it  might  be  well 
for  him  to  divide  his  mission  into  two  parts,  and 
get  Bertha  disposed  of,  before  thinking  of  trying 
to  find  whether  the  mysterious  prisoner  of  the  moon- 
shiners could  really  be  his  dear  father,  when  their 
conversation  was  interrupted  by  a  scream  from  a 
point  close  by. 

The  two  boys  sprang  to  their  feet,  and  looked 
at  each  other  blankly. 

"  That  was  a  girl  called  out.  Bob !  "  exclaimed 
Thad.  "  We  can't  tell  but  what  it  may  be  a  trap 
of  some  kind,  but  that's  a  chance  we've  just  got  to 
take.    Come  on,  and  we'll  soon  see  what  it  means !  " 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


IN  LUCK  AGAIN. 


Bob  was  quite  as  eager  as  his  companion  to  hurry 
forward  and  see  what  that  cry  of  a  girl's  voice 
might  mean.  Whoever  heard  of  a  Southern  boy  un- 
willing to  act  in  similar  circumstances  ? 


144  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

The  two  of  them  had  noted  the  quarter  from 
whence  the  shrill  scream  came,  and  were  making  a 
bee  line  for  it  as  fast  as  the  rough  nature  of  the 
ground  permitted. 

"  Keep  back,  thar,  you  ugly  critter !  Don't  you 
dar  jump  at  me!  Oh!  if  I  could  on'y  git  free,  I'd 
show  you!  "  they  heard  just  beyond  the  fringe  of 
bushes. 

Bursting  through  these,  and  the  scene  lay  before 
them.  It  was  a  girl,  a  real  mountain  girl  too,  who 
had  called  out.  She  was  half  bent  over,  as  though 
trying  all  her  might  to  wrench  her  foot  free,  for  it 
seemed  to  be  caught  in  a  crevice  of  the  rock,  as  in  a 
vise. 

Not  ten  feet  away  from  her  crouched  an  ugly 
wildcat.  Its  ears  were  bent  backward  toward  its 
body;  the  yellow  eyes  seemed  to  glow  with  an  ugly 
fire ;  and  there  could  be  no  doubt  but  that  the  animal 
was  getting  ready  to  jump  at  the  girl,  possibly  an- 
gered by  the  red  sunbonnet  she  wore. 

She  had  managed  to  pick  up  a  stone,  with  which 
she  was  ready  to  do  battle  in  case  the  cat  really  at- 
tacked her.  Thad  saw  this,  and  admired  her  grit, 
even  though  he  believed  that  she  would  have  suffered 
dreadfully,  had  the  fight  ever  come  off. 

Bob  gave  a  cry  of  rage  as  he  saw  what  it  all 
meant.  He  too  snatched  up  a  stone,  and  made 
directly  for  the  wildcat,  as  though  such  a  thing  as 
fear  did  not  enter  into  his  calculations.    And  Thad, 


\ 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  U5 

a  little  wiser,  seeing  an  excellent  club  handy,  made 
out  to  get  that  in  his  grip  ere  following  his  chum. 

Despite  the  coming  of  these  two  new  enemies  the 
wildcat  showed  no  sign  of  beating  a  retreat.  There 
may  have  been  some  reason  for  this  unexpected 
bravery  on  the  animal's  part.  Usually  it  is  only 
when  darkness  comes  that  bobcats  are  dangerous; 
and  in  the  daytime  they  will  generally  retreat  before 
the  coming  of  human  foes. 

There  may  have  been  kittens  somewhere  close  by ; 
and  a  mother  cat  will  attack  anything  that  moves  in 
defense  of  her  offspring. 

But  just  then  Thad  was  not  bothering  himself 
with  trying  to  understand  why  the  fierce  beast  acted 
in  that  altogether  remarkable  way.  What  they 
wanted  to  do  was  to  influence  the  animal  to  leave 
the  neighborhood,  and  the  quicker  this  were  done 
the  better  they  would  be  pleased. 

"  Go  slow,  Bob!  "  Thad  called  out,  fearful  lest  his 
impulsive  comrade  dash  up  so  close  that  in  another 
instant  the  cat  would  be  upon  him,  clawing,  biting, 
and  doing  all  manner  of  damage. 

He  swung  his  club  in  as  ferocious  a  manner  as  he 
could,  and  made  all  sorts  of  threatening  gestures  as 
he  rushed  forward. 

Thinking  that  if  they  approached  from  two 
separate  quarters  the  beast  might  grow  more  or  less 
confused,  and  possibly  slink  away,  Thad  did  not 


146  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

follow  directly  in  the  track  of  his  friend,  but  made 
a  little  detour. 

Bob  came  to  a  pause.  He  was  not  more  than  a 
dozen  feet  away  from  the  beast  now,  and  there  was 
danger  that  if  he  closed  in  any  more  the  expected 
collision  must  take  place. 

Thad  saw  him  draw  his  arm  back.  Undoubtedly 
Bob  meant  to  hurl  the  heavy  rock  he  had  snatched 
up.  If  he  missed  his  aim,  he  would  then  be  entirely 
unprotected.  But  then  Bob  had  pitched  on  a  base- 
ball team  several  seasons,  and  was  said  to  have  a 
very  clever  delivery,  with  the  faculty  of  getting  the 
ball  over  the  rubber  with  clock-like  precision.  And 
a  crouching  wildcat,  only  a  dozen  feet  away,  is  a 
large  enough  object  to  be  counted  a  sure  thing  by 
an  experienced  ball  player. 

So  even  as  Thad  looked  and  wondered,  he  saw 
Bob  let  drive.  And  when  the  rock  actually  struck 
the  cat  between  its  glaring  eyes,  hurling  it  over  back- 
wards, Thad  could  not  help  letting  out  a  yell. 

"  Good  shot.  Bob !  "  he  cried.  "  Get  another, 
quick,  for  he's  coming  after  you  like  hot  cakes ! " 

He  himself  was  closing  in  on  the  cat  all  the  time 
he  shouted  after  this  manner.  In  another  moment 
they  were  all  in  a  confused  bunch,  the  enraged  and 
woimded  wildcat  screaming  and  snarling;  Thad 
pounding  away  every  chance  he  got;  Bob  kicking 
wildly  at  the  animal,  as  he  looked  for  a  chance  to 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  147 

get  hold  of  another  stone;  and  the  whole  making 
quite  a  lively  circus. 

Several  times  Thad  landed  with  such  a  will  on  the 
side  of  the  springing  wildcat  that  the  wretched 
beast  was  knocked  clean  over.  But  with  a  despera- 
tion that  was  simply  astonishing  it  would  get  to- 
gether, and  come  flying  back  again,  as  though  it 
really  possessed  the  nine  lives  its  tribe  is  given 
credit  for. 

Of  course  this  could  not  last  long.  The  game  was 
too  one-sided,  with  two  against  one ;  and  in  the  end 
the  cat  was  glad  to  jump  into  the  bushes,  with  a 
parting  expression  of  hatred  in  the  form  of  a  snarl. 

The  panting  boys  stood  and  looked  at  each  other. 
Each  of  them  had  a  few  rents  in  their  khaki 
trousers;  and  might  have  been  served  even  worse 
only  that  their  putties  protected  the  lower  part  of 
their  limbs. 

Whew !  that  was  a  hot  time ! "  gasped  Thad. 

Did  you  see  how  many  times  I  bowled  the  thing 
over,  and  only  to  have  to  defend  myself  again? 
Give  me  a  mad  wildcat  for  gameness.  They  haven't 
their  equal  going,  pound  for  pound." 

"  And  I  hit  him  when  I  threw  that  stone ;  I'm 
proud  of  that  shot,  suh!"  declared  the  Southern 
boy,  with  a  grim  smile. 

"  Say,  it  was  a  right  smart  throw,  all  right ;  but 
s'pose  yuh  come  and  help  me  outen  this  trap  now, 
strangers,"  came  from  the  mountain  girl. 


118  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

As  they  turned  toward  her,  and  advanced,  Thad 
saw  immediately  that  she  was  not  the  little  Bertha 
whom  he  had  looked  upon,  sitting  beside  Reuben 
Sparks,  and  with  her  golden  hair,  seeming  very 
much  like  a  fairy. 

This  girl  was  slender,  and  with  coarse,  black  hair. 
She  was  garbed  in  common  homespun  clothes,  and 
wore  shoes  that  were  doubtless  much  too  large  for 
her  feet.  One  of  her  ankles  had  been  caught  tightly 
in  the  crevice  of  the  rock.  She  might  have  managed 
to  extricate  herself  if  given  a  little  time;  but  the 
sudden  appearance  of  that  ugly  fighting  wildcat  had 
upset  her;  so  that  she  had  twisted  and  squirmed 
until  her  foot  was  held  as  though  in  a  blacksmith's 
vise. 

Bob  in  his  usual  impetuous  way  might  have  been 
impelled  to  tug  at  that  imprisoned  foot,  and  add  to 
her  sufferings ;  but  Thad,  who  was  cooler,  set  about 
discovering  just  how  it  was  gripped;  then,  as  gently 
as  he  could  he  gave  it  a  sudden  turn,  and  the  thing 
was  done. 

The  girl  uttered  a  little  scream  as  a  pain  shot 
through  her  ankle;  but  then  she  realized  that  the 
way  the  boy  had  gone  about  it  was  the  right  one. 
Results  count  every  time.  When  a  man  succeeds, 
the  path  he  has  taken  is  looked  upon  as  a  shining 
example  to  the  rising  generation ;  should  he  fail,  the 
same  route  is  pointed  out  as  beset  with  unsurmount- 
able  difficulties. 


IN  THE  BLUE  KIDGE  149 

"  I'm  right  glad  you  kim  along  In  time,"  the  girl 
remarked,  as  her  black  eyes  scanned  the  faces  of 
the  two  boys  who  had  done  her  such  a  good  turn. 

"  Had  you  done  anything  to  the  cat ;  or  was  it 
just  crazy  for  a  fight?"  asked  Bob,  as  he  looked 
more  closely  at  the  angular  girl ;  and  Thad  thought 
he  could  detect  that  in  his  manner  to  tell  he  might 
have  recognized  her. 

"  Tears  like  it  was  jest  brim  full  of  scrap, 
mister,"  she  went  on.  *'  I  was  acomin'  down  ther 
side  o'  the  mounting,  paying  'tention  to  my  own 
business,  when  I  jest  made  er  fool  o'  myself,  like  ye 
see,  an'  gut  a  foot  fast  atween  the  rocks.  Then 
the  critter  showed  up,  and  started  makin'  a  row. 
I  tried  all  I  knowed  how  to  break  loose,  but  it  was  no 
go.  An'  I  was  jest  agwine  to  hit  the  animal  atween 
the  eyes  if  it  jumped  me,  when  you-uns  arriv.  But 
I'm  glad  ye  kim.  'Tain't  nice  to  git  yuh  face  all 
clawed  to  ribbands  by  cat's  claws.  Yep,  I'm  glad  ye 
helped  me  outen  it." 

Thad  saw  that  she  was  a  character,  this  girl  of 
the  Blue  Ridge.  Rough  and  uncouth,  she  might  be, 
still  she  possessed  the  qualities  that  real  heroines 
were  once  made  out  of  in  the  days  of  Joan  of  Arc. 

Doubtless  she  must  be  the  daughter  of  one  of  the 
poor  "  white  trash  "  mountaineers  who  spend  their 
time  between  making  moonshine  whiskey,  and  dodg- 
ing revenue  men.  It  struck  Thad  at  the  moment 
that  perhaps,  since  they  had  been  enabled  to  do  her 


150  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

a  good  turn,  she  might  be  willing  to  assist  them. 
Such  a  girl  ought  to  know  a  good  deal  of  what  was 
going  on  back  in  the  mountains.  Her  people  must 
talk  about  the  strange  things  that  happened ;  perhaps 
she  might  be  able  to  even  tell  Bob  something  about 
the  prisoner  who  was  said  to  be  kept  up  there  some- 
where, working  at  the  sour-mash  in  the  never  raided 
Still  of  Phin  Dady. 

With  this  bright  idea  in  his  mind  Thad  decided 
that  fortune  had  indeed  played  another  nice  trick 
upon  them,  and  one  that  would  perhaps  be  to  their 
advantage. 

"  Do  you  live  near  here ;  and  will  you  be  able  to 
limp  home  ?  "  he  asked ;  for  he  saw  that  the  ankle 
was  somewhat  swollen,  and  must  pain  more  or  less ; 
although  the  girl  scorned  to  show  it  by  her  manner. 

"  A  right  smart  ways  off  from  heah,  stranger," 
she  replied ;  "  but  then  they  be  some  o'  my  friends 
nigh  this,  who'll  take  keer  o*  me.  Ye  did  hit  up 
that  ere  onary  cat  some  handsome,  an'  I  shore  think 
it  won't  want  to  tackle  a  pore  gal  ther  next  time 
it  sees  one." 

"  Perhaps  we  might  help  you  along  to  the  home 
of  your  friends,"  said  Thad. 

She  looked  at  him  keenly,  for  even  the  daughters 
of  moonshiners  grow  to  be  suspicious  of  those  whom 
they  do  not  know. 

'Tain't  no  need,  stranger ;  I  kin  take  keer  o'  my- 


« )' 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  151 

self,  I  reckon.  Not  that  I  ain't  feelin'  'bliged  to  ye, 
fur  offerin'.  I  kain't  furgit  thet  ye  done  me  a  good 
turn.  Mebbe  I  ain't  good  lookin'  like  thet  leetle 
cousin  o'  yours,  Bob  Quail ;  but  it's  the  on'y  face  I'll 
ever  hev ;  and  no  gal  likes  to  be  scratched  an'  gouged 
bad  by  the  pizen  claws  o'  a  wildcat." 

"Will  you  tell  your  father  about  this,  Polly?" 
asked  Bob,  excitedly,  Thad  thought. 

"  'Pears  like  I  hadn't  orter  keep  it  from  him,"  she 
replied,  slowly,  watching  the  expressive  and  hand- 
some face  of  the  young  Southerner  closely. 
"  Thems  as  don't  think  Phin  Dady  keers  fur  his 
fambly,  but  they  don't  know.  Reckons  he'd  jest 
'bout  lay  down  his  life  fur  me,  pore  looker  as  I  am !  " 

Thad  drew  a  big  breath.  Really  things  were 
rushing  forward  by  leaps  and  bounds  now.  For  not 
only  had  the  girl  recognized  his  companion,  who 
wished  to  keep  his  identity  under  cover  while  in  the 
mountains;  but  this  same  Polly,  as  Bob  called  her, 
had  now  disclosed  herself  to  be  the  daughter  of  the 
moonshiner.  Old  Phin  Dady! 


152  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 


CHAPTER  XVni. 

POLLY  GIVES  HER  PROMISE. 


(( 


Fm  going  to  ask  you  a  great  favor,  Polly/'  said 
Bob,  earnestly. 

"  Then  hit  it  up  right  smart,  an'  tell  me,"  replied 
the  girl,  calmly,  though  Thad  could  see  her  dark, 
expressive  face  light  up. 

Polly  had  her  share  of  the  curiosity  that  is  the 
heritage  of  her  sex. 

"  You  say  you  feel  thankful  that  we  happened 
along  in  time  to  drive  that  cat  off;  and  you'd  be 
w^illing  to  do  something  for  us  in  return?"  Bob 
went  on. 

"  Thet's  right.  Bob  Quail,"  returned  the  girl  of 
the  mountains  sturdily.  "  Reckons  as  how  it'd  on'y 
be  fair.    What  ye  want  me  to  do  ?  " 

"  First  of  all,  please  don't  whisper  it  to  anybody 
around  here  that  I  have  come  back,"  the  boy  asked 
in  his  earnest  tones ;  "  and  least  of  all  to  your  father. 
You  know  he  used  to  feel  right  sore  against  all  my 
family,  because  my  father  in  trying  to  do  his  sworn 
duty  by  the  Government,  ran  up  against  the  moon- 
shine boys." 

"  Oh !  thet's  easy  promised.  Bob  Quail,"  she  re- 


4 


IN  THE  BLUE  KIDGE  153 

plied,  readily  enough ;  "  I  kin  keep  a  close  tongue 
atween  my  teeth,  ef  I  happens  to  be  on'y  a  gal.  But 
I  kin  see  thet  ain't  all  yer  gwine  to  ask  o'  me." 

"  But  everything  else  hinges  on  that,  Polly,"  re- 
turned Bob ;  "  and  I'm  glad  you'll  forget  that  you 
saw  one  of  the  Quail  family.  They're  not  in  any 
too  good  odor  in  this  part  of  the  country.  Now, 
you're  wondering,  I  reckon,  why  I  ever  dared  come 
back,  after  two  years.  Well,  there  were  reasons  that 
pulled  me  into  the  danger  zone,  Polly.  One  of  them 
was — Bertha,  my  little  cousin." 

Polly  smirked,  and  nodded  her  wise  head. 

"  I  cud  a  guessed  thet,  Bob  Quail,"  she  remarked. 
"  Sumbody  must  a  ben  tellin'  ye  thet  she  ain't  as 
happy  as  she  mout  be,  thet's  it.  The  old  miser,  he's 
cross  as  a  bear  with  a  sore  head;  an'  I  seen  Bertha 
with  red  eyes  more'n  a  few  times.  I  don't  blame  ye 
'bout  wantin'  to  do  somethin' ;  though  I  reckons  ye'U 
find  it  a  up-hill  job,  w'en  ye  tackle  thet  old  fox.'* 

"  But  there's  a  way  to  get  him  in  a  hole,  and  I 
believe  I've  found  it,"  said  Bob.  "  Only,  if  I'm 
chased  out  of  the  country  before  I  can  carry  my 
plans  through,  you  see,  all  my  coming  here  wouldn't 
amount  to  a  row  of  beans.  That's  one  reason  why 
I  asked  you  to  keep  my  secret.  But  there's  another, 
Polly." 

"  Yep,  they's  another,"  she  repeated  after  him, 
with  her  dark  eyes  fixed  on  his  face,  as  though  she 
might  be  able  to  read  what  was  passing  in  his  mind, 


154  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

and  in  this  way  was  prepared  to  hear  his  new  dis- 
closure. 

Thad  knew  what  his  comrade  meant  to  say.  It 
was  a  big  risk,  but  he  believed  it  could  be  carried 
through.  This  girl  was  no  ordinary  creature;  she 
had  latent  possibilities  slumbering  beneath  the  sur- 
face in  her  nature,  that,  as  yet,  had  never  been 
called  upon  to  show  themselves.  Besides,  the  girl 
was  grateful  to  them  for  what  they  had  done. 

"  You  haven't  forgotten  what  happened  here 
some  years  ago,  Polly,"  Bob  went  on.  "  My  father 
led  a  party  of  revenue  men  into  these  mountains, 
meaning  to  destroy  the  secret  Stills.  He  never  came 
back.  Those  who  were  with  him  said  that  he  had 
been  shot  down  in  a  fierce  fight  with  the  moon- 
shiners ;  and  that  he  had  died  almost  instantly.  You 
haven't  forgotten  that  terrible  time,  Polly,  have 
you?" 

I  reckons  not,"  she  muttered,  stirring  uneasily. 
Well,  somehow  I  never  could  get  myself  to  be- 
lieve that  my  father  was  really  dead.  I  had  one  of 
the  revenue  men  in  my  pay,  and  he  used  to  write  me 
every  week  or  so.  It  was  through  him  I  first  heard 
the  rumor  that  the  moonshiners  were  said  to  have 
a  prisoner  up  at  your  father's  Still,  who  was  kept 
constantly  under  guard,  and  made  to  work.  They 
even  said  he  was  a  revenue  man;  and  that  it  was  a 
part  of  the  moonshiners'  revenge  to  make  him  help 
manufacture  the  mountain  dew,  so  as  to  pay  up  for 


It 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  155 

the  quantities  he  had  destroyed  in  his  raids.  You've 
heard  more  or  less  about  this,  too,  haven't  you, 
Polly?'' 

"  Sure  I  has,  Bob  Quail,"  replied  the  girl. 

"  Polly,  somehow  I  just  can't  get  it  out  of  my 
head  that  this  mysterious  prisoner  of  the  moun- 
tains might  be  my  own  father;  that  he  was  badly 
wounded,  and  not  killed  in  that  fight ;  that  the  moon- 
shiners nursed  him  back  to  health;  and  ever  since 
he's  been  kept  under  guard.  Do  you  know  if  that 
is  so?  I  ask  you  to  tell  me,  because  it  would  mean 
a  great  deal  to  me,  and  to  my  poor  mother  at  home 
in  the  North." 

Polly  shook  her  head  in  the  negative. 

"  I  jest  can't  say  as  to  thet,"  she  answered, 
soberly ;  "  I  done  hears  a  heap  'bout  some  man  as 
they  has  kep'  a  long  time  up  thar,  adoin'  of  the 
chores,  an'  never  without  a  gun  clost  to  his  head; 
but  I  ain't  never  seed  him.  I  gives  ye  my  word  on 
thet.  Bob  Quail." 

"  But  Polly,  you  could  see  him  if  you  tried  real 
hard,  couldn't  you  ?  "  the  boy  went  on,  in  an  anxious 
tone. 

She  looked  at  him.  The  eager  expression  on 
poor  Bob's  face  would  have  moved  a  heart  of  stone; 
and  Polly  was  surely  deeply  touched. 

"  I  reckons  I  cud,"  she  answered,  steadily ;  while 
in  her  black  eyes  stole  a  glow  that  gave  Thad  a 
curious  feeling;  for  he  began  to  believe  that  they 


156  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

had  after  all  come  upon  an  unexpected  and  valuable 
ally,  right  in  the  household  of  the  chief  enemy. 

"  Think  what  it  means  to  me,  Polly/'  Bob  sug- 
gested, knowing  how  best  to  appeal  to  her  sympa- 
thies. "  Put  yourself  in  my  place,  and  tell  me  what 
you  would  do  if  it  was  your  own  father  who  was 
held  a  prisoner,  and  you  had  long  believed  him 
dead?  Do  you  blame  me  for  coming  back  to  these 
mountains  to  try  and  learn  the  truth;  and  if  it  should 
turn  out  to  be  all  I  dream  it  may,  of  attempting  in 
some  way  to  bring  about  his  release.  Would  you 
blame  me,  Polly? '' 

"  Sure  I  wudn't.  Bob  Quail,"  she  replied. 

"  And  will  you  help  me  find  out  ?  '*  he  went  on, 
feverishly. 

"  Seein's  I  owe  ye  a  heap,  'case  o'  what  ye  done 
fur  me  this  day,  I'm  gwine  to  say  jest  what  ye  wants 
me  to,"  the  girl  returned. 

With  an  almost  inarticulate  cry  Bob  seized  her 
hand,  and  gave  it  a  squeeze. 

"  Oh !  you  don't  know  how  happy  youVe  made 
me  by  saying  that,  Polly !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  And  if 
it  should  turn  out  to  be  my  poor  father,  won't  you 
try  and  help  me  get  him  free?  He'll  never  come 
back  here  again  to  bother  your  people;  I  give  you 
my  word  for  that,  Polly,  sure  I  do.  Will  you  help 
me  do  it  ?  " 

"  Thet's  asking  a  hull  lot.  Bob  Quail,"  she  mut- 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  157 

tered,  doubtfully,  as  though  she  realized  the  magni- 
tude of  the  task  he  would  put  upon  her  shoulders. 
"  It's  wantin'  me  to  go  agin  my  own  dad.  If  so  be 
thar  is  a  revenue  kep'  up  thar  to  the  Still,  it's  his 
doin's.  An'  'less  he  gives  the  word,  thar  ain't  no- 
body dar's  to  let  that  man  go  free.  An'  now  ye 
arsk  me  to  play  agin  my  own  people.  It's  a  big 
thing  ye  want  done.  Bob  Quail.  I  dunno;  I 
dunno ! " 

But  Thad  could  see  she  was  wavering.  He  be- 
lieved that  if  Bob  only  pressed  his  point  he  must 
win  out. 

"Listen,  Polly,"  and  Bob  caught  hold  of  her 
wrist  as  he  spoke,  as  though  to  hold  her  attention 
better ;  "  more  than  two  long  years  this  man  has 
been  held  there,  the  sport  and  plaything  of  the 
moonshiners,  and  made  to  do  their  rough  work.  It 
must  have  broken  his  spirit  sadly.  And  surely  your 
father's  desire  for  revenge  should  be  wholly  satis- 
fied by  now.  Think  of  my  mother,  mourning  him 
as  dead  all  this  time,  Polly.  Just  imagine  her 
wonderful  joy  if  he  came  back  to  her  again  alive 
and  in  the  flesh!  Oh!  don't  talk  to  me  about  the 
risks  I  am  running  in  just  ceming  here;  gladly 
would  I  put  my  life  in  danger  ten  times  over,  if  I 
knew  there  was  a  chance  to  find  him,  and  bring  him 
home  with  me.  That  is  what  you  would  do,  Polly ; 
and  perhaps  some  day,  when  sorrow  and  trouble 
come  to  you,  I  may  be  able  to  do  you  a  good  turn, 


158  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

even  as  you  are  going  to  do  for  me  now;  because 
something  tells  me  you  are,  Polly !  '* 

That  settled  it.  Bob  had  gone  about  the  matter 
in  just  the  right  way  to  reach  the  moonshiner's 
daughter's  heart.  No  doubt  she  often  thought  of 
the  black  day  that  might  come  at  any  time,  when 
those  never  sleeping  Government  agents  would  cap- 
ture Old  Phin,  and  he  look  a  long  sentence  in  the 
face.  Yes,  it  would  be  worth  something  to  know 
that  they  had  a  friend  in  court  when  that  time  rolled 
around. 

"  Yes,  I'm  agwine  to  help  ye,  Bob  Quail,"  she  said, 
slowly.  "  I  don't  jest  know  yet  how  far  I  kin  go; 
but  anyways  I'll  promise  to  find  out  who  thet 
prisoner  up  at  the  Still  kin  be.  Then,  mebbe  I  mout 
think  it  over,  an'  reckon  as  it's  jest  like  ye  sez,  an' 
he's  shore  be'n  punished  enuff.  Thet's  all  I'll  tell 
ye  right  now." 

"  Well,  it's  mighty  fine  of  you  to  say  as  much  as 
that,  Polly,  and  I  want  you  to  know  I  appreciate  it 
more  than  I  can  tell  you,"  the  Southern  boy  went 
on,  his  dark  handsome  face  radiant  with  renewed 
hope,  as  his  heart  beat  high  in  the  belief  that  his 
loftiest  dreams  might  after  all  come  true. 

"I  hope  that  foot  won't  keep  you  from  walk- 
ing? "  Thad  thought  to  remark  just  then. 

This  caused  Bob  to  remember  that  he  had  a  chum 
near  by,  and  he  hastened  to  say: 

"  This  is  one  of  my  best  friends,  Thad  Brewster, 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  159 

Polly.  We  belong  to  the  troop  of  Boy  Scouts 
encamped  down  below.  Perhaps  you  have  heard 
your  father  speak  of  them?  He  was  in  our  camp 
more  than  an  hour  last  night,  and  my  chum  here 
seemed  to  interest  him  a  heap  in  telling  all  about 
what  scouts  aim  to  do  in  the  world." 

"  Yep,  I  heerd  'bout  hit,"  the  girl  replied,  as  she 
gave  Thad  a  short  nod ;  "  an'  he  shore  was  takin' 
sum  stock  in  wat  he  done  heerd.  My  dad,  he  allers 
liked  boys  better'n  he  did  gals.  Lost  three  on  'em, 
he  did,  an'  every  one  died  with  his  boots  on!  But 
ye  needn't  git  skeered  'bout  this  hyar  foot  ahurtin' 
me  none.  We  knows  what  kin'  o'  stuff  to  put  on  a 
sprain,  as'll  take  ther  swellin'  down  right  smart. 
See,  I  kin  walk  jest  as  good  as  I  ever  cud.  An'  I'll 
find  out  fur  ye  'bout  thet  man  up  to  the  Still,  sure  I 
will,  Bob." 

"  When  can  I  see  you  again,  Polly?  "  Bob  asked, 
anxiously.  "  You  know  time  is  worth  a  heap  to  me 
right  now.  Say  soon,  please ;  sometime  to-night,  if 
you  can;  and  it'll  help  a  lot.  I'll  never  be  able  to 
sleep  a  wink  now  till  I  know  the  truth." 

"  Mout  as  well  put  her  through  on  ther  lightnin' 
express  as  not,"  she  replied.  "  I  reckons  I  kin 
promise  ye  to-night.  An'  I  knows  whar  yer  camp 
lays,  'case  I  arsked  my  dad.  Thort  I  mout  happen 
thet  way,  an'  see  what  boys  looked  like  as  was 
dressed  in  smart  close.  It's  gwine  to  be  a  hard  job, 
seems  like,  an'  mebbe  I  carn't  git  'roun'  till  late,  but 


160  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

I'll  be  thar,  Bob  Quail!  Ye  done  ther  right  thing 
by  me,  an'  Polly  Dady  don't  forgit." 

Then  turning  her  back  on  the  two  boys,  the  moun- 
tain girl  swung  herself  along  the  rough  face  of  the 
hillside  with  a  perfect  confidence  in  her  ability  to 
keep  her  footing  that  only  a  chamois  might  have 
exceeded. 

And  Thad,  looking  at  his  chum,  saw  that  the 
other's  face  was  wreathed  in  a  smile  such  as  had 
long  been  a  stranger  there. 

"  The  best  day's  work  I  ever  did,  Thad ! "  ex- 
claimed Bob,  as  he  seized  his  chum's  hand,  and 
squeezed  it  convulsively.  "  Something  just  tells 
me  Polly  is  going  to  be  my  good  fairy,  and  bring 
me  the  greatest  gift  that  ever  could  be — the  knowl- 
edge that  my  dear  father  lives." 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE  SILENT  VIDETTE. 

"  Shall  we  go  back  the  same  way  we  came  up  ?  " 
asked  Thad,  as  they  made  a  start  toward  returning 
to  the  camp  down  below. 

"  I  think  I'd  like  to  try  another  route,"  Bob  re- 
plied. "  Some  of  those  places  we  hit  were  pretty 
tough  climbing;  and  you  know  it's  always  harder 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  161 

going  down,  than  up  a  mountain.  Seems  to  me 
we'll  strike  an  easier  way  over  to  the  right  here." 

"  My  opinion  exactly,"  Thad  declared,  ready  to 
fall  in  with  anything  which  the  other  proposed,  be^ 
cause  he  was  interested  heart  and  soul  in  the  work 
Bob  had  cut  out  for  himself — trying  to  bring  more 
of  happiness  into  the  life  of  little  Bertha,  his  cousin; 
and  finding  out  whether  his  long-lost  father  was 
still  in  the  land  of  the  living. 

They  had  gone  about  half  of  the  way,  and  found 
that,  just  as  Bob  guessed,  it  was  much  easier  than 
the  other  route  would  have  proven,  when  Thad  made 
a  discovery  that  gave  him  a  little  thrill. 

"  There's  a  man.  Bob !  "  he  exclaimed,  suddenly. 

"  Where  ?  "  demanded  the  other,  turning  his  head 
around;  for  he  happened  to  be  a  trifle  in  advance 
of  his  companion  at  the  time. 

"  Over  yonder,  on  that  rock,  and  of  course  with 
a  rifle  in  sight ;  for  you  never  see  one  of  these  moun- 
taineers without  that.  I  wouldn't  be  surprised  to 
hear  that  some  of  them  go  to  bed  with  their  guns  in 
their  arms.     Do  you  see  him  now.  Bob?" 

"  Yes,  and  can  understand  why  he's  sitting  there 
like  that,"  replied  the  other,  rather  bitterly. 

"  Looks  like  he  might  have  a  touch  of  the  fever 
and  ague,  and  that  with  a  spell  of  the  shakes  on,  he 
wanted  to  sun  himself,"  suggested  Thad ;  though  he 
knew  full  well  the  true  explanation  was  along  other 
lines  entirely. 


162  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

"  He*s  doing  sentry  duty,"  remarked  Bob,  soberly. 
"  You  can  see,  Thad,  that  from  where  he  lies  he 
has  a  splendid  view  of  the  road  we  came  over?  " 

"  That's  a  fact,  and  could  even  toss  a  rock  down 
on  it  if  he  chose,"  continued  the  patrol  leader.  "  I 
understood  that,  Bob,  and  can  guess  why  he  was 
placed  there  by  Old  Phin  Dady." 

"  I  suppose  they're  all  around  us,"  remarked  the 
Southern  boy,  "  and  as  I  said  last  night,  they've  sure 
got  us  marooned,  all  right.  We  can't  move  without 
they're  knowing  it.  Oh !  what  sort  of  chance  would 
I  have  to  get  him  out  of  this  awful  country,  even  if 
it  should  turn  out  to  be  my  father  who  is  the  pris- 
oner of  the  moonshiners?  Thad,  I  reckon  it's  a  for- 
lorn hope  after  all." 

"  Well,"  remarked  the  other,  seeing  that  Bob 
needed  cheering  up  again,  "  even  if  you  only  dis- 
cover that  he  is  alive,  that  will  be  great  news  alone. 
And  when  things  get  to  coming  your  way  the  style 
they've  been  doing  lately,  believe  me,  you  can  hope 
for  the  best.  Keep  your  spirits  up,  Bob.  That  girl 
is  going  to  help  us  more  than  we  ever  dreamed  of." 

"  It  was  great  luck,  our  running  across  Polly ; 
and  then  the  chance  to  do  her  a  favor,  could  you 
beat  it  ?  Reckon  you're  right,  Thad ;  and  I'm  foolish 
for  letting  myself  look  at  the  dark  side,  when  things 
are  breaking  so  splendidly  for  me." 

**  That  fellow  doesn't  seem  to  pay  much  attention 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  163 

to  us,  though  I'm  sure  he  knows  we're  going  to  pass 
him  by,"  Thad  continued,  in  a  lower  voice. 

"  I  used  to  know  a  good  many  of  the  men  around 
here,  and  this  might  be  one  of  the  lot;  so  I  hadn't 
better  take  any  chances  of  his  seeing  me  too  close 
in  the  daylight,"  and  with  this  remark  Bob  drew 
the  brim  of  his  hat  lower  o\ner  his  face. 

The  man  never  so  much  as  moved,  though  the 
two  descending  boys  passed  within  thirty  feet  of 
where  he  reclined  on  the  rock,  his  face  turned  to- 
ward the  road  that  wound  in  and  out  of  the  tangle 
far  below. 

Thad  believed  he  could  see  a  pair  of  sharp  eyes 
under  the  man's  hat,  that  kept  watch  over  their 
movements;  but  there  was  no  hail,  or  other  sign  of 
life  from  that  sphinx-like  figure  stretched  out  at 
length  on  the  sunny  rock.  Should  they  have  given 
the  mountaineer  cause  for  displaying  any  activity, 
no  doubt  he  would  be  quick  to  take  action. 

Thad  certainly  did  not  want  to  strike  up  a  con- 
versation with  so  morose  a  man;  and  especially 
when  his  chum  wished  to  keep  aloof  from  him. 
So  they  continued  along  down  the  side  of  the  moun- 
tain, and  soon  lost  sight  of  the  vidette. 

Still,  the  circumstance  left  a  bad  feeling  behind. 
It  was  far  from  pleasant  for  the  boys  to  realize  how 
completely  they  had  put  themselves  in  the  power  of 
these  mountain  moonshiners.  Just  as  Bob  had  so 
bitterly  declared,  Old  Phin  ruled  with  an  iron  hand 


164  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

among  the  men  who  lived  here  among  the  uplifts* 
and  once  he  had  placed  sentries  on  duty  to  watch 
the  movements  of  the  scouts,  they  could  neither  go 
forward  nor  retreat,  unless  that  gaunt  moonshiner 
crooked  his  finger. 

"  I  don't  see  how  it  can  be  done,"  Bob  broke  out 
later,  as  they  began  to  draw  near  the  camp  again ;  as 
though  he  had  been  wrestling  with  some  subject, 
and  reached  a  point  where  he  needed  counsel. 

"  As  what  ?  "  inquired  his  comrade. 

"  Work  both  ends  of  the  affair  at  the  same  time,** 
continued  Bob.  "  Suppose,  now,  I  find  that  the 
paper  Bertha  has  seen  is  the  very  one  I've  been 
hoping  to  get  my  hands  on;  and  she  comes  to  me 
to-night;  how  can  I  carry  her  away,  and  at  the 
same  time  stay  here  to  find  out  about  the  news 
Polly  will  bring  me  ?  " 

"  Now,  I'm  glad  you  spoke  of  that.  Bob,"  Thad 
declared ;  "  because  I've  been  trying  to  puzzle  out 
that  same  thing  myself.  And  I  really  believe  I've 
hit  the  only  answer." 

"  Then  let  me  hear  it,  for  goodness  sake,  please !  " 
exclaimed  the  other,  in  a  relieved  tone;  for  he  well 
knew  that  when  Thad  Brewster  said  a  thing  that 
way,  he  must  feel  pretty  confident  he  had  the  right 
solution  in  hand. 

"  Just  as  you  say,  it  would  be  next  to  impossible 
to  take  Bertha  away  from  here,  and  at  the  same 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  165 

time  carry  out  your  plans  in  connection  with  that 
other  business.  That  is  of  the  first  importance,  it 
seems  to  me,  Bob.  This  other  about  Bertha  can 
wait  some,  if  it  comes  to  it." 

"  Yes,  it  could,  I  suppose,"  admitted  the  other, 
slowly.  "  Bertha  is  unhappy  she  says,  and  he  treats 
her  wretchedly ;  but  then  he  is  not  really  cruel  to  her. 
Tell  me  your  plan,  Thad,  and  I'll  be  ready  to  stand 
by  it." 

"  Suppose,  then,  she  brings  you  that  paper,  and  it 
turns  out  to  be  all  you  hope  for?  You  can  take  it 
away  with  you,  and  when  we  get  back  to  Asheville 
place  it  in  the  hands  of  some  reliable  lawyer,  who 
will  have  Reuben  summoned  to  court  with  the  girl. 
Then  she  will  never  be  allowed  to  go  back  with  him 
again;  and  he  may  consider  himself  lucky  if  he  gets 
off  without  being  sent  to  jail  for  having  withheld  a 
lawful  document,  and  replacing  it  with  a  false  will, 
or  one  that  was  older." 

Bob  uttered  a  cry  of  delight. 

"  It  sure  takes  you  to  think  up  an  answer  to 
every  hard,  knotty  problem,  Thad,"  he  cried.  "  That 
is  just  the  best  thing  ever,  and  I'm  willing  to  try  it. 
Why,  for  me  to  take  the  law  in  my  hands  would  be 
silly,  when  the  courts  will  save  me  all  the  risk.  And 
while  I  hate  to  disappoint  poor  little  Bertha,  who 
believes  I'm  down  here  to  carry  her  off,  in  spite 
of  old  Reuben,  she'll  understand,  and  be  willing  to 
wait  a  bit.    Thank  you  over  and  over  again,  Thad. 


166  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

Tm  feeling  a  thousand  per  cent  better,  suh,  after 
what  you  said/* 

"  And  about  the  other  thing,  Bob,  I  wouldn't  let 
myself  believe  too  strongly  that  this  mysterious 
prisoner  of  the  moonshiners  will  turn  out  to  be  your 
father.  There  were  some  other  revenue  men  who 
have  disappeared  in  the  last  few  years,  men  who 
started  into  the  mountains  to  learn  things,  and  never 
came  out  again.  It  might  be  one  of  these  after  all. 
And  I  guess  you'd  be  awfully  disappointed  if  you 
set  too  much  store  on  that  thing." 

"  I  keep  trying  all  I  know  how  not  to  hope  too 
much,  Thad,"  replied  the  other,  with  a  big  sigh; 
"  and  tellin'  myself  that  it  would  be  too  great  news; 
yet,  seems  like  there  was  a  little  bird  nestlin*  away 
down  in  here,  that  goes  on  singin'  all  the  while, 
singin'  like  a  mockingbird  that  brings  good  news," 
and  Bob  laid  a  trembling  hand  on  his  breast  in  the 
region  of  his  heart,  as  he  spoke. 

"  Well,  said  Thad,  warmly,  "  I'm  just  hoping  that 
everything'll  come  out  the  way  you  want,  old  fel- 
low. We're  going  to  back  you  up  the  best  we  know 
how;  and  if  we  fail  to  do  what  we  aim  for,  it  won't 
be  from  lack  of  trying." 

"  I  know  that,  and  I'll  never,  never  forget  it  as 
long  as  I  live ! "  declared  the  other,  almost  choking 
in  his  emotion. 

"  There's  the  camp,"  remarked  Thad,  five  minutes 
later,"  and  everything  seems  to  be  going  along  all 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  167 

right  at  the  old  stand.  I  can  see  Step  Hen  lying 
on  his  back,  with  his  hat  over  his  eyes  as  if  he 
might  be  taking  a  nap;  Smithy  is  of  course  brush- 
ing his  coat,  because  he  has  discovered  some  specks 
of  dust  on  it  that  worry  him;  and  if  you  look  at 
Giraffe,  you'll  know  what  he's  up  to  when  I  tell  you 
he's  whittling  at  a  piece  of  pine,  to  beat  the  band." 

"  Getting  kindling  ready  to  start  up  the  fire,  when 
supper  time  comes  around,"  said  Bob,  with  a 
chuckle,  as  though  some  of  these  familiar  sights 
began  to  do  him  good,  in  that  they  served  to  take 
his  thoughts  away  from  the  things  that  distressed 
and  worried  him. 

When  the  two  scouts  arrived  in  camp  they  were 
immediately  surrounded  by  their  comrades,  who  de- 
manded to  know  what  they  had  seen  and  done.  To 
judge  from  the  variety  of  questions  that  showered 
upon  them,  one  might  think  that  Thad  and  Bob  had 
been  off  on  a  regular  foraging  expedition,  and 
scouring  the  upper  regions  in  search  of  adventures. 

And  indeed,  they  did  have  something  to  tell  that 
made  the  others  stare.  The  several  little  holes  in 
their  clothes,  evidently  made  by  sharp  claws,  gave 
evidence  as  to  the  truth  of  their  wonderful  story. 
And  all  of  the  stay-at-homes  united  in  the  fervent 
hope  that  Polly  Dady  might  be  grateful  enough  to 
bring  Bob  the  news  he  yearned  to  possess. 

Several  of  the  boys  had  been  dispatched  to  the 
cabins  across  the  valley,  where  they  managed  to  pur- 


168  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

chase  some  dozens  of  eggs,  but  could  get  no  bacon. 
They  did  secure  a  couple  of  fowls,  however,  which 
were  even  then  plucked,  and  ready  for  the  pot. 

As  evening  settled  down  soon  afterward,  the 
scouts  prepared  to  make  themselves  as  comfortable 
as  the  circumstances  allowed. 

And  certainly  not  one  among  them  so  much  as 
"dreamed  that  other  peculiar  events  were  on  the  cal- 
endar; ready  to  take  their  places  upon  the  stage; 
and  advance  the  interests  of  the  fellow  scout,  whose 
yearning  to  look  again  on  the  familiar  scenes  of  his 
younger  years  had  influenced  the  others  to  hike 
through  the  Blue  Ridge  Range. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THE  AWAKENING  OF  STEP  HEN. 

"  Say  fellers,  did  anybody  see  that 


>> 


Step  Hen  had  just  managed  to  get  that  far  in 
what  he  was  about  to  say,  when  he  was  rudely  in- 
terrupted by  a  combined  shout  from  Giraffe,  Davy 
Jones,  and  Bumpus. 

"  Don't  you  dare  accuse  us  of  taking  any  of  your 
old  traps.  Step  Hen ! "  said  the  last  named  scout, 
severely. 

"  We're  sure  gettin'  awful  tired  of  that  war  cry,** 


IN  THE  BLUE  EIDGE  169 

declared  Giraffe.  "  It's  always  this  thing  or  that 
he's  lost,  and  never  by  his  own  fault  at  all.  A  sly 
little  jinx  is  hover  in'  around,  ready  to  grab  up  a 
thing  just  as  soon  as  Step,  lays  it  down.  Still,  I 
notice  that  every  single  time,  it  turns  out  he  put  it 
there  himself.  Get  a  new  tune  for  a  change,  Step 
Hen,  and  ring  it  on  us." 

"  By  the  way,"  remarked  Smithy,  who  was  very 
polite,  and  never  joined  in  the  loud  and  boisterous 
jeers  that  greeted  some  break  on  the  part  of  a  com- 
rade; "what  fresh  misfortune  has  overtaken  you 
now.  Step  Hen  ?  " 

"  Oh ! "  replied  the  other,  with  a  broad  grin, 
"  when  our  funny  friends  broke  in  on  me  that  way, 
I  was  only  going  to  ask  if  any  of  you  wide-awake 
scouts  had  noticed  that  I  had  my  badge  turned  right- 
side  up,  early  this  morning  ?  " 

There  was  a  general  laugh  at  this,  even  the  three 
culprits  joining  in. 

Among  all  Boy  Scouts,  it  has  become  the  proper 
wrinkle  to  turn  the  badge  upside  down  to  start  the 
day;  and  the  wearer  has  no  right  to  change  its  po- 
sition until  he  has  done  an  actual  good  deed  toward 
some  one  else ;  or  even  helped  an  animal  that  was  in 
distress.  Many  are  the  expedients  resorted  to,  in 
order  to  gain  this  privilege ;  for  it  is  deemed  in  bad 
taste  to  spend  the  entire  day  with  the  badge  reversed 
on  the  lapel  of  the  coat. 

A  thousand  ways  can  be  found  whereby  the  boy 


170  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

may  feel  that  he  has  a  right  to  alter  the  position  of 
his  badge,  and  prove  that  he  had  done  something  of 
a  kindly  nature,  that  is  a  credit  to  his  character. 
An  old  woman  may  be  helped  across  the  street;  a 
heavy  basket  carried  for  a  child;  a  box  that  is  try- 
ing the  strength  of  a  single  man  may  be  made 
easier  to  lift  into  a  wagon  by  a  pair  of  sturdy,  will- 
ing hands;  the  harness  that  is  galling  the  shoulder 
of  a  horse  can  be  rendered  less  troublesome  if  a  rag 
is  doubled  up,  and  fastened  to  the  leather — well,  the 
list  of  things  that  wide-awake  scouts  find  in  order 
to  gain  this  privilege  would  really  seem  to  be  with- 
out end. 

So  all  the  others  now  turned  toward  Step  Hen, 
with  curiosity  expressed  on  their  faces;  for  they 
seemed  to  guess  that  it  could  be  no  ordinary  explana- 
tion that  he  meant  to  give  them. 

"  What  wonderful  stunt  did  you  manage  to  carry 
through  so  early  in  the  day,  down  in  this  forsaken 
country  ?  "  demanded  Giraffe. 

Bumpus  looked  forlornly  at  his  own  badge,  that 
still  hung  to  his  coat  lapel  in  its  reversed  position; 
showing  that  he,  at  least,  had  not  been  able  to  dis- 
cover any  means  of  doing  a  good  turn  to  some  ob- 
ject, however  humble;  in  fact,  he  had,  like  most  of 
the  other  boys,  entirely  forgotten  about  the  usual 
programme.  There  were  no  old  ladies  to  help  down 
here;  no  errands  to  run  for  mother;  no  problems 
to  solve  for  little  brother;  nothing  but  the  everlast- 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  171 

ing  mountains  rising  grimly  all  about  them,  and 
silence  lying  on  the  scene  like  a  great  blanket. 

"  I  reckon  I'm  the  only  one  in  the  bunch  that's 
oeen  smart  enough  to  get  his  badge  turned  to-day," 
chuckled  Step  Hen,  proudly  exhibiting  the  article 
in  question;  "  and  I'd  just  like  the  fun  of  hearing  all 
of  you  try  and  guess  how  I  managed  it ;  but  then,  I 
know  you'd  never  hit  on  the  truth  in  a  thousand 
years ;  and  so  I  s'pose  I'll  have  to  up  and  tell  you." 

"  Oh !  wake  me  up,  somebody,  when  he  gets  really 
started,"  groaned  Giraffe ;  "  of  all  the  slow-pokes, 
Step  Hen  takes  the  cake." 

"  I'll  tell  you,"  began  the  other,  with  a  sly  look 
toward  the  speaker,  as  though  he  purposely  delayed 
his  disclosure  in  order  to  annoy  the  impatient  Gi- 
raffe ;  "  you  see,  it  was  this  way,  fellows.  I  hap- 
pened to  be  walking  out  along  the  back  road  just 
after  we'd  done  breakfast.  Thought  I'd  dropped 
my  handkerchief  somewhere,  but  afterwards  I  found 
it  inside  my  hat,  you  know." 

"  Sure,  it's  always  that  way,"  muttered  Giraffe, 
who  lay  with  his  eyes  closed,  but  drinking  in  all  that 
was  said. 

"  Well,"  continued  Step  Hen,  "  all  at  once  I  no- 
ticed something  that  interested  me  a  whole  lot. 
There  was  one  of  them  queer  little  tumble-bugs 
you  always  see  ashovin'  round  balls  along  the  road, 
an'  goin'  somewhere  that  nobody  ever  yet  found  out. 
This  critter  was  tryin'  like  all  possessed  to  push  his 


172  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

ball  up  a  steep  little  place  in  the  road.  Sometimes 
he'd  get  her  close  to  the  top,  and  then  lose  his  grip ; 
when  it'd  roll  all  the  way  back  again. 

"  Say,  boys,  that  insect's  pluck  interested  me  a 
heap,  now,  I'm  tellin'  you.  Right  there  I  got  one 
of  the  best  lessons  a  scout  ever  picked  up  in  all  his 
life;  which  was  the  old  story,  '  if  at  first  you  don't 
succeed,  try,  try  again.'  And  he  kept  on  try  in' 
again  and  again.  I  must  a  stayed  there  all  of  half 
an  hour,  just  watchin'  that  game  little  critter  pushin' 
his  ball  up  against  the  hardest  luck  ever.  And  then, 
when  I  just  couldn't  stand  it  any  longer  I  took  bug 
and  ball  in  my  hand,  and  put  'em  both  up  on  top  of 
that  rise.  And  after  that  I  thought  I  had  a  right 
to  turn  my  badge  right-side  up !  " 

The  scouts  looked  at  each  other.  Somehow,  they 
did  not  laugh,  though  surely  it  must  have  been  one 
of  the  queerest  reasons  ever  advanced  by  a  fellow- 
scout,  as  an  excuse  for  wearing  his  badge  honorably. 

Despite  its  grotesque  nature,  there  was  also  some- 
thing rather  pathetic  about  the  thought  of  Step  Hen, 
only  a  careless,  half-grown  lad  at  best,  spending  a 
whole  lot  of  time,  simply  watching  an  humble  but 
game  little  beetle  trying  to  fight  against  hard  luck, 
and  almost  as  interested  in  the  outcome  as  the 
wretched  bug  itself. 

"  How  about  that,  Mr.  Scoutmaster ;  is  Step  en- 
titled to  wear  his  badge  that  way,  on  account  of 
helping  that  silly  little  bug  climb  his  mountain?" 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  173 

asked  Davy,  turning  to  Thad ;  but  though  his  words 
might  seem  to  indicate  a  touch  of  scorn,  there  was 
certainly  nothing  of  the  sort  in  his  manner. 

Thad  himself  had  been  amused,  and  deeply  in- 
terested, in  Step  Hen's  recital.  Only  too  well  did  he 
know  what  a  careless  and  indifferent  fellow  the  boy 
had  ordinarily  been  classed,  both  at  school  and  at 
home.  Seldom,  if  ever,  had  he  paid  the  least  atten- 
tion to  things  that  were  happening  all  around  him, 
and  which  might  appeal  to  the  sympathies  of  boys 
who  were  made  of  finer  grain  than  Step  Hen. 

And  now,  it  seemed  thai  something  had  been  mak- 
ing an  insidious  change  inside  the  scout;  when  he 
could  feel  such  intense  interest  in  so  trivial  a  thing 
as  the  pluck  of  an  obscure  tumble-bug.  Time  was 
when  Step  Hen  would  have  cared  little  whether  or 
not  he  came  down  with  his  heel  upon  such  an  ob- 
ject, which  ought  to  know  better  than  get  in  his 
path. 

It  was  different  now,  since  Step  Hen  had  joined 
the  scouts.  His  eyes  had  been  opened  to  many 
things,  the  existence  of  which  he  had  never  dreamed 
in  those  other  days.  And  he  could  never  again  be 
the  same  indifferent  fellow;  he  must  go  on  advanc- 
ing along  the  trail  that  led  to  a  better  knowledge  of 
Nature's  great  secrets;  and  above  all  else,  the  ca- 
pacity that  lay  within  his  own  heart  for  understand- 
ing these  myriads  of  small  but  wonderful  things. 

"  I'm  not  going  to  answer  that  question  myself, 


174  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

Davy,"  said  Thad,  with  a  smile.  "  Fact  is,  I'd  much 
rather  have  the  candid  opinion  of  every  scout  on  the 
subject.  So  I'm  going  to  put  it  to  a  vote,  here  and 
now;  and  I  want  you  to  be  serious  about  it,  small 
matter  though  it  may  seem;  for  upon  such 
things  rests  the  very  foundations  of  the  whole  Boy 
Scout  movement — observing,  understanding,  appre- 
ciating." 

"  Whew !  "  muttered  Giraffe,  "  and  all  this  fuss 
about  one  little  tumble-bug !  " 

*'  Those  who  really  and  truly  think  Step  Hen  had 
a  full  right  to  turn  his  badge  right  side  up  for  the 
interest  he  took  in  that  game  little  creature's  strug- 
gle to  overcome  what  seemed  unsurmountable  diffi- 
culties, and  for  lending  a  helping  hand  in  the  end, 
raise  the  right  hand,"  and  Thad  put  his  up  for  a 
starter. 

Not  counting  Step  Hen  himself,  there  were  just 
seven  fellows  present  when  Thad  asked  them  to 
show  their  colors.  And  including  the  scoutmaster 
himself,  just  seven  instantly  raised  a  hand. 

Thad  laughed  softly.  It  gave  him  more  pleasure 
than  he  could  tell  to  see  that  the  boys  understood  the 
motive  that  had  swaved  their  comrade.  And  doubt- 
less  this  vote  of  confidence  would  urge  Step  Hen 
to  go  along  the  path  he  had  discovered,  with  ever- 
increasing  confidence,  as  its  charms  continued  to  be 
revealed  in  ever-increasing  proportions  day  by  day. 
A  new  world  would  soon  open  up  to  his  inquiring 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDOE  175 

eyes.  He  would  find  ten  thousand  things  of  tre- 
mendous interest  all  around  him,  to  which  he  had 
up  to  now  been  as  blind  as  a  bat.  Never  again 
would  he  feel  alone,  even  though  no  comrade  were 
at  his  side;  for  he  could  discover  innumerable  ob- 
jects about  him  at  any  time,  calculated  to  chain  his 
attention. 

"  Seems  to  be  unanimous,  fellows,"  remarked 
Thad ;  "  and  I  hereby  publicly  commend  our  com- 
rade. Step  Hen,  for  his  action  of  this  morning.  Yes, 
he  did  have  a  right  to  turn  his  badge.  It  was  not 
so  much  what  he  did,  as  the  feeling  he  showed  in, 
first  of  all,  stopping  to  watch  the  bug;  second,  get- 
ting tremendously  interested  in  its  never-give-up 
spirit;  third,  in  applying  the  principal  to  himself; 
and  last  but  not  least,  his  desire  to  lend  a  helping 
hand.  For  Step  Hen,  boys,  this  has  been  a  day  that 
some  time  later  on  in  life,  he  will  mark  with  a  white 
stone ;  for  he  has  begun  to  notice  things.  And  with 
the  fever  on  him,  he'll  have  to  keep  on  noticing, 
until  he'll  think  it's  not  the  same  old  world  at  all 
but  one  filled  at  every  turn  with  splendid  discoveries. 
I  know,  because  I've  been  through  the  same  thing 
myself," 

"  Hurrah !  "  said  GirafYe,  who  had  been  consider- 
ably impressed  by  what  the  scoutmaster  had  said. 
"  What  did  I  tell  you,  fellows,  about  not  missing 
Dr.  Philander  Hobbs,  our  regular  scoutmaster,  on 
this  hike?    D'ye  think  now,  he  could  have  said  all 


176  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

that  one-half  as  good  as  Thad  did?  I  guess  not. 
And  Step  Hen,  I'm  ashamed  to  say  that  the  whole 
blessed  day  has  gone  by  without  my  ever  thinking 
to  do  something  good  for  another  feller,  so  I  could 
turn  my  badge  over.  There  she  rests;  and  I  give 
you  all  fair  notice  that  to-morrow  I'm  going  to  start 
in  right  away  to  get  it  moving." 

"  Plenty  of  time  to-night  yet,  Giraffe,"  piped  up 
Davy.  ''  I  happen  to  know  a  fellow  who  thinks  a 
certain  knife  you  own  would  look  mighty  fine  in 
his  pocket,  if  only  you'd  take  the  trade  he  offers. 
Now,  if  you  made  him  happy,  p'raps  you'd  have  the 
right  to  turn  your  badge ;  and  he  c'd  do  ditto,  mak- 
ing it  a  killing  of  two  birds  with  one  stone.  Better 
think  it  over.  Giraffe." 

The  tall  boy  looked  at  Davy  with  a  frown,  and 
shook  his  head. 

"  'Tain't  fair  to  put  it  up  to  me  that  way,  Davy," 
he  declared,  obstinately.  "  You  just  know  I  don't 
want  to  trade,  the  least  bit.  Now,  if  you'd  say,  that 
on  the  whole  you'd  concluded  to  quit  botherin'  me, 
that  would  be  a  good  deed,  and  I  reckon  you'd  ought 
to  have  the  right  to  turn  your  badge." 

At  this  ingenious  return  thrust  Davy  subsided, 
with  a  grin,  and  a  general  laugh  arose  from  the  other 
scouts. 

But  if  most  of  the  boys  were  merry,  there  was  one 
who  looked  sober  enough.  Of  course  this  was  Bob 
Quail.     He  knew  what  a  tremendous  undertaking 


IN  THE  BLUE  KIDGE  177 

he  had  before  him,  and  the  results  seemed  so  un- 
certain that  it  was  only  natural  he  should  feel  the 
heavy  weight  resting  upon  his  young  shoulders. 

First  of  all,  he  must  meet  his  cousin.  Bertha,  and 
learn  what  success  had  followed  her  efforts  to  dis- 
cover whether  the  paper  she  had  seen  by  accident 
in  her  guardian's  safe  was  the  missing  document 
which  Bob  believed  Reuben  had  abstracted,  placing 
another  in  its  place.  Then,  later  on,  he  had  that  ap- 
pointment with  Polly,  the  moonshiner's  daughter, 
who  was  to  bring  him  news  concerning  the  mys- 
terious prisoner. 

Yes,  Bob  certainly  had  quite  enough  on  his  young 
mind  to  make  him  anything  but  jovial.  Still,  he  had 
been  more  or  less  interested  in  what  was  going  on 
around  him,  for  he  was,  after  all,  a  boy. 

They  were  eating  supper,  as  they  chatted  in  this 
way.  Night  had  settled  down  on  the  scene.  It 
promised  to  be  a  pretty  dark  night  at  that,  Thad 
realized,  as  he  looked  around  him,  and  then  up  at 
the  heavens,  where  a  few  stars  held  forth,  but  gave 
very  little  light. 

It  was  fortunate  that  Bob  happened  to  be  so  well 
acquainted  around  that  vicinity  otherwise  he  would 
never  have  been  able  to  cross  to  the  other  side  of  the 
strange  little  basin  which  they  called  a  valley,  with- 
out carrying  a  lantern;  and  this  in  itself  must  be 
out  of  the  question,  since  its  light  would  betray 
him. 


178  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

While  they  were  eating,  they  heard  a  gunshot  not 
far  away. 

"  Wow !  what  d'ye  think  that  means  ?  "  exclaimed 
Giraffe,  jumping  to  his  feet,  and  looking  off  in  the 
gloom  toward  the  back  trail.  "  Seemed  to  me  like 
it  came  from  down  that  way,  eh,  boys." 

"  It  sure  did,"  announced  Davy  Jones,  positively. 

"  And  it  was  a  gun  in  the  bargain,  with  a  big 
load.  What  d'ye  s'pose  they  could  find  to  shoot  at 
in  the  dark  ?  "  demanded  Step  Hen. 

"  Oh!  lots  of  things,"  replied  Allan.  "  If  a  bob- 
cat jumped  in  on  us  right  now,  we'd  think  of  using 
our  gun,  wouldn't  we?  But  it  might  be  that  shot 
was  some  sort  of  signal,  after  all." 

"  There  wasn't  any  answer,  that's  sure,"  inter- 
posed Bumpus. 

"  But  seems  to  me  I  can  hear  somebody  talking 
pretty  loud  that  way,"  observed  the  listening  Thad. 

"  I  did  too,"  declared  Smithy;  "  but  it's  died  away 
now,  as  though  the  excitement  might  be  over.  I 
wonder  what  it  was,  fellows?" 

"  Chances  are,  we'll  never  know,"  returned  Gi- 
raffe, settling  back  once  more  to  continue  eating, 
for  he  was  not  yet  through. 

"  Lots  of  queer  things  are  happening  all  around 
us,  that  we'll  never  know,"  remarked  Step  Hen,  seri- 
ously. 

Thad  looked  at  him  curiously.  This  was  a  strange 
remark  to  come  from  the  happy-go-lucky  Step  Hen. 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  179 

It  looked  as  though  his  one  little  experience  of  that 
morning  had  indeed  done  wonders  toward  causing 
the  careless  lad  to  turn  over  a  new  leaf.  He  was 
beginning  to  think,  and  see  what  a  great  big  world 
this  is  after  all.  His  horizon  had  been  moved  back 
hugely  since  he  first  yawned,  and  stretched,  that 
same  morning. 

And  the  queer  part  of  it  was  that  no  one  thought 
to  joke  the  boy  about  his  altered  disposition.  They 
seemed  to  understand  that  it  was  no  joking  matter. 
Doubtless  Step  Hen's  reformation  would  not  be  ac- 
complished in  a  day,  nor  a  week,  nor  even  a  month ; 
but  he  had  taken  the  first  step,  and  from  now  on 
must  begin  to  arouse  himself  to  making  a  good  use 
of  the  faculties  with  which  a  kindly  Nature  had  en- 
dowed him. 

"Listen!"  exclaimed  Thad,  a  little  while  later, 
just  as  they  were  about  done  supper. 

"  I  heard  somebody  talking,  too !  "  declared  Davy 
Jones;  while  Allan  showed  by  his  manner  that  the 
sounds  had  surely  come  to  his  acute  hearing,  trained 
by  long  service  in  the  piney  woods  of  his  native 
state. 

"  They're  comin'  this  way,  too ;  I  c'n  hear  'em 
pushin'  through  the  bushes,  and  stumblin'  along 
too."  Bumpus  declared,  in  an  awed  tone ;  looking  a 
trifle  worried,  and  wishing  Thad  would  only  snatch 
up  that  gun,  lying  against  the  tree  trunk,  which  the 
other  did  not  seem  at  all  anxious  to  do. 


180  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

The  voices  drew  steadily  nearer,  as  the  boys  stood 
and  listened. 

"  Hyar's  a  fire,  Nate ;  we  gut  ter  git  him  thar, 
sure's  anything.  I  tell  yuh  he'll  never  be  able  tuh 
walk  'crost  tuh  the  doc's  cabin.  He'll  bleed  tuh 
death  long  'foah  we  gits  thar  with  'im.  Steady 
now.  Cliff;  hyah's  a  light,  an'  we  kin  see  how  bad 
yuh  is  hurt !  " 

Then,  while  the  scouts  stood  and  stared  In  amaze- 
ment, a  group  of  three  men  staggered  into  view,  two 
of  them  assisting  the  third,  whose  faltering  steps 
showed  that  he  must  have  been  injured,  even  if  the 
arm  that  dangled  helplessly  at  his  side  had  not  told 
the  tale  of  a  serious  gunshot  wound ! 

No  wonder  that  the  Boy  Scouts  felt  a  thrill  as  they 
watched  these  rough  mountaineers  enter  their  camp 
in  this  strange  way. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

"  be  prepared ! " 

"  Whee  !  " 

It  was  Bumpus  who  gave  utterance  to  this  ex- 
clamation, though  possibly  he  hardly  realized,  him- 
self, that  he  was  saying  anything,  as  he  stood  there, 
and  gaped  at  the  sight  of  the  wounded  mountaineer 
being  helped  along  into  their  camp. 


IN  THE  BLUE  EIDGE  ISl 

But  if  Bumpus,  and  some  of  the  others,  were 
spell-bound  by  what  they  saw,  gazing  as  though 
fascinated  at  the  blood  dripping  from  the  man's 
fingers,  Thad  Brewster  was  not  included  in  this 
group. 

He  had  long  ago  picked  up  a  smattering  of  knowl- 
edge connected  with  a  surgeon's  duties;  and  ever 
since  taking  up  the  new  life  of  a  Boy  Scout,  those 
things  which  concerned  the  saving  of  human  Jife 
had  somehow  appealed  to  young  Thad  with  re- 
doubled force. 

More  than  once  now  had  he  been  called  upon  to 
show  what  he  knew  along  these  lines.  A  boy  had 
been  severely  cut  by  an  ax  he  was  carelessly  wield- 
ing in  camp ;  and  might  have  bled  to  death  only  for 
the  energetic  actions  of  Thad,  who  knew  just  how 
to  secure  a  stout  bandanna  handkerchief  around 
above  the  wound,  with  the  knot  pressing  on  the  ar- 
tery; and  making  a  tournaquet  by  passing  a  stick 
through  the  folds  of  the  rude  bandage,  twist  until 
the  bleeding  was  temporarily  stopped,  and  the  boy 
could  be  taken  to  a  doctor. 

Another  time  it  had  been  a  case  of  near  drowning, 
when  Thad,  who  had  learned  his  lesson  well,  suc- 
ceeded in  exercising  the  lad's  arms,  after  laying  him 
on  his  chest  and  pressing  his  knee  upon  him,  until 
he  had  started  the  lungs  to  working.  In  that  case 
every  one  of  the  other  scouts  declared  that  only  for 


182  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

these  prompt  applications  of  scout  knowledge  the 
unfortunate  one  would  surely  have  died. 

And  so,  when  he  saw  that  the  man  who  was  being 
thus  supported  into  their  camp  had  been  shot  in  the 
arm,  and  was  in  danger  of  bleeding  to  death,  the  sur- 
geon instinct  in  Thad  Brewster  came  immediately 
to  the  surface. 

He  never  once  thought  about  the  fact  that  the 
man  was  very  probably  one  of  those  very  lawless 
moonshiners,  whose  presence  all  around  had  vir- 
tually marooned  himself  and  chums  in  the  heart  of 
the  mountains.  He  was  a  man,  and  in  trouble;  and 
perhaps  Thad  could  be  of  some  help ! 

And  so  the  generous-hearted  boy  sprang  forward, 
eager  to  lend  a  hand. 

"  Bring  him  right  up  to  the  fire,  men ! ''  he  ex- 
claimed. "  What  happened  to  him?  Was  he  shot? 
We  heard  a  gun  go  off  a  little  while  ago,  and  won- 
dered what  it  meant." 

The  two  men  urged  their  injured  companion  for- 
ward. He  seemed  to  have  little  mind  of  his  own  in 
the  matter;  though  Thad  could  see  that  he  had  his 
jaws  set,  and  was  apparently  determined  to  betray 
no  sign  of  weakness  in  this  terrible  hour.  The  cus- 
tomary grit  of  the  North  Carolina  mountaineer  was 
there,  without  fail.  It  showed  in  the  clenched  hand, 
the  grim  look  on  his  weather-beaten  face,  '^.s  well  as 
in  those  tightly  closed  teeth. 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  183 

"Yep,  'twar  an  accident,"  almost  fiercely  replied 
one  of  the  men,  whom  Thad  now  recognized  as  the 
fellow  whom  they  had  met  driving  the  vehicle  that 
Bob  declared  had  kegs  of  the  illicit  mountain  dew 
hidden  under  the  straw — Nate  Busby.  "  We  was 
walkin'  thro'  ther  woods  w'en  a  twig  cort  the  trig- 
ger o'  my  gun,  and  she  hit  Cliff  in  the  arm,  makin' 
a  bad  hurt.  Reckons  as  how  he  never  kin  hold  out 
till  we-uns  git  him  acrost  ter  ther  doc's  cabin." 

"  You  could,  if  we  managed  to  stop  that  bleed- 
ing," said  Thad,  eagerly.  "  Bring  him  over  here, 
and  let  me  take  a  look,  men.  I've  done  a  little  some- 
thing that  way.  And  perhaps  you  don't  know  it; 
but  all  Boy  Scouts  are  taught  how  to  shut  off  the 
flow  of  blood.  There,  set  him  down,  and  help  me 
get  his  coat  off.    There's  no  time  to  lose." 

"  Nope,  thar's  sure  no  time  tuh  lose,"  muttered 
the  wretched  Nate,  who  was  undoubtedly  feeling 
very  keenly  the  fact  that  it  had  been  his  gun  that 
had  been  discharged  through  accident,  causing  all 
this  trouble;  and  that  if  the  man  died,  his  relatives 
might  even  want  to  hold  the  unlucky  owner  of  that 
weapon  to  account  for  his  carelessness,  inexcusable 
in  one  who  had  been  mountain  born  and  bred. 

They  sat  the  wounded  man  down  as  gently  as 
though  he  had  been  a  babe;  after  which  Nate  as- 
sisted Thad  to  take  the  ragged  coat  off. 

Some  of  the  scouts  crowded  close,  though  with 
white  faces ;  for  the  sight  of  blood  is  always  enough 


184  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

to  send  a  cold  chill  to  the  hearts  of  those  unaccus« 
tomed  to  the  spectacle.  But  Allan  was  an  excep- 
tion; and  strangely  enough,  there  was  Smithy, 
whom  no  one  would  ever  have  expected  to  show  the 
least  bit  of  nerve,  evidently  ready  to  lend  the  ama- 
teur surgeon  a  helping  hand,  if  he  called  for  re- 
cruits. It  often  takes  a  sudden  emergency  call  like 
this  to  show  what  is  under  the  veneered  surface  of 
a  boy.  Smithy  had  always  been  deemed  rather 
effeminate ;  yet  here  he  could  stand  a  sight  that  sent 
the  cold  shivers  chasing  up  and  down  the  spines  of 
such  fellows  as  Giraffe,  Davy  Jones,  and  Step  Hen, 
and  almost  completely  upset  poor  Bumpus. 

"  Get  me  one  of  those  stout  bandages  I  brought 
along,  Allan,  please,"  said  Thad,  when  he  could  see 
what  the  terrible  nature  of  the  wound  was ;  ''  you 
know  where  they  are.  And  Smithy,  will  you  hand 
me  that  stick  yonder  ?  " 

In  a  brief  space  of  time  the  several  articles  were 
at  the  service  of  the  boy,  who  first  of  all  made  a 
good-sized  knot  in  the  handkerchief,  after  wrapping 
it  around  the  man's  arm  above  the  wound ;  and  then, 
inserting  the  stout  stick,  he  began  twisting  the  same 
vigorously. 

It  must  have  pained  tremendously,  but  not  a 
Avhimper,  not  a  semblance  of  a  groan  did  they  hear 
from  the  bearded  lips  of  the  wounded  mountaineer. 
Indeed,  he  seemed  to  arouse  himself  sufiiiciently  to 
watch  the  confident  operations  of  the  young  surgeon 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  185 

tvith.  a  rising  curiosity;  and  Thad  thought  he  could 
detect  a  slight  smile  on  his  dark  face. 

As  for  Nate  and  the  other  rough  man,  they  stared 
as  though  unable  to  believe  their  eyes,  to  thus  see  a 
mere  boy  so  wonderfully  able  to  do  what  was  neces- 
sary in  a  case  of  life  and  death.  Every  little  move- 
ment did  they  follow  with  wrapt  attention.  No 
doubt,  a  great  relief  had  already  commenced  to 
rise  up  in  the  heart  of  Nate,  as  hope  again  took  hold 
upon  him.  If  the  other  survived  the  shock,  and  loss 
of  blood,  it  would  not  be  so  bad;  and  trouble  might 
not  come  home  to  him  on  account  of  his  liability  for 
the  accident. 

Thad  soon  knew  that  he  had  done  the  right  thing. 
The  knot  had  been  properly  placed,  so  that  the  pres- 
sure upon  the  artery  above  the  wound  prevented  any 
more  blood  being  pumped  that  way  by  the  excited 
action  of  the  man's  heart. 

"  There,"  he  remarked,  in  a  satisfied  way,  "  I 
guess  we've  got  the  bleeding  held  up,  and  you  can 
get  him  to  a  doctor,  if,  as  you  say,  there  is  one  across 
the  valley.  I'm  going  to  bind  this  stick  so  it  can't 
come  loose  while  you're  helping  him  along.  But  if 
it  should,  perhaps  you've  seen  how  I  did  the  job, 
and  you  could  fix  it  up  again?  " 

"  Sure,"  replied  Nate ;  "  and  yuh  dun  it  ther  neat- 
est I  ever  knowed,  younker.  Reckon  as  how  Cliff 
Doric  an'  me  has  reason  tuh  be  glad  yuh  happened 
tuh  be  so  clost.    If  so  be  he  lives  thru  hit,  as  he  will 


186  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

now,  dead  sartin,  he's  gwine  tuh  owe  his  life  tuh 
yer." 

Thad  happened  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  Bob's  face 
just  then,  as  the  other  turned  toward  him ;  for  up  to 
now  he  had  been  keeping  rather  aloof,  not  wishing 
to  be  noticed  by  either  of  the  mountain  men.  He 
was  surprised  to  see  the  expression  of  suddenly  re- 
newed hope  that  seemed  to  have  taken  up  its  abiding 
place  there.  Apparently  the  Southern  boy  had  made 
a  pleasing  discovery,  which  of  course  Thad  could 
only  guess  at,  until  he  had  found  a  chance  to  speak 
to  his  comrade.  But  he  understood  readily  enough 
that  it  must  concern  the  coming  of  the  three  men, 
and  the  fact  of  the  scouts  being  enabled  to  place  them 
under  obligations. 

With  the  flow  of  blood  stopped,  the  wounded  man 
seemed  to  gather  new  energy.  He  no  doubt  felt 
that  he  had  at  least  a  fair  chance  to  pull  through. 
He  started  to  get  on  his  feet,  seeing  which  Thad  im- 
mediately offered  his  hand  to  help  him;  and  the 
mountaineer's  horny  palm  was  confidently  thrust 
into  his  much  smaller  one;  as  though,  after  what 
miracle  he  had  already  seen  the  lad  perform,  the 
man  were  willing  to  trust  him  in  anything. 

Yes.  Fortune  had  again  been  kind  to  the  scouts ; 
only  in  this  instance  it  had  not  been  a  case  of  search- 
ing for  chances  to  do  good;  the  opportunity  had 
come  knocking  at  their  very  door,  so  that  all  that 
was  necessary  was  for  them  to  be  prepared,  just  as 


IN  THE  BLUE  KIDGE  187 

the  scout's  motto  signifies,  and  then  do  the  best  they 
knew  how. 

Again  did  the  two  men  take  hold  of  their  stricken 
companion.  Before  they  quit  the  vicinity  of  the 
fire,  however,  the  man  named  Nate  Busby  turned 
and  shook  hands  all  around.  Evidently  he  was 
grateful  for  the  assistance  rendered.  To  his  mind 
this  first  aid  to  the  injured  meant  a  whole  lot;  and 
while  he  did  not  say  a  single  word,  his  action  was 
enough  to  show  what  he  thought. 

Then  the  group  departed,  heading  toward  the 
other  side  of  the  valley,  where,  in  one  of  the  humble 
cabins,  some  sort  of  mountain  doctor  was  to  be 
found,  rude  in  his  way,  no  doubt,  but  perfectly 
capable  of  attending  to  a  gunshot  wound;  for  these 
doubtless  constituted  the  bulk  of  calls  that  were 
made  upon  his  services. 

When  they  had  gone  the  scouts  began  to  discuss 
the  queer  happening,  and  compare  notes  as  to  which 
one  of  them  had  shown  the  least  alarm. 

Bob  Quail  came  directly  over  to  where  Allan  and 
Thad  were  standing,  just  as  the  latter  had  expected 
he  would  do.  That  expression  of  eager  anticipation 
still  shone  upon  his  dark  face,  and  his  eyes  fairly 
glowed  with  satisfaction. 

"  Well,  will  wonders  ever  stop  happening  ?  "  he 
said,  as  he  reached  the  others.  Did  you  hear  what 
Nate  called  the  wounded  man,  Thad,  Allan?" 

"  Yes,  It  was  Cliff  Doric.     And  I  guess  youVc 


188  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

heard  it  before,  judging  from  the  way  you  act?  '*  ob- 
served the  scoutmaster. 

"  Talk  about  luck,  why,  we're  just  swimming 
neck  deep  in  it,  suh !  "  the  other  continued.  "  I 
thought  he  looked  a  little  like  somebody  Td  known 
befoah;  and  when  I  heard  that  name,  I  knew  it; 
Why,  Cliff  Doric  is  the  brother  of  Old  Phin's  wife ! '' 

"  Fine !  '*  exclaimed  Allan,  with  a  broad  smile. 

"I  should  say,  yes,"  Bob  went  on,  eagerly; 
"  seems  as  though  we  were  just  bound  to  put  the 
whole  Dady  family  in  our  debt.  There  was  Old 
Phin  himself,  who  felt  so  interested  in  all  you  told 
him  about  the  Boy  Scout  movement ;  then  there  was 
Polly,  who  might  have  had  her  face  badly  scratched, 
not  to  mention  other  wounds,  if  we  hadn't  just  hap- 
pened to  get  there  in  time  to  chase  that  savage 
mother  bobcat  off.  And  now  youVe  gone  and  saved 
the  life  of  Polly's  own  uncle.  Oh!  p'raps,  suh,  we 
won't  have  to  get  into  any  fuss  at  all  about  that 
prisoner  of  the  Still;  p'raps  Old  Phin  might  feel 
that  we'd  done  his  family  enough  good  to  change  his 
mind  about  keepin'  that  revenue  man  up  there  any 
longer,  aworkin'  his  life  out;  and  let  him  go  away 
with  us,  if  he  promised  never  to  tell  anything  he'd 
learned.  And  let  me  say  to  you  both,  I'm  feelin' 
somethin'  right  here,  inside,  that  seems  to  tell  me  it's 
going  to  be  all  right,  all  right !  "  and  Bob  repeated 
those  last  two  words  softly,  caressingly,  as  though 
they  meant  everything  in  the  wide  world  to  him. 


m  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  lo* 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

WHEN    BOB    CAME    BACK. 

The  other  boys  of  course  shared  in  Bob*s  deep 
feeling  of  satisfaction.  Perhaps  he  might  be  ex- 
pecting too  much  from  the  old  mountaineer;  but 
then.  Bob  had  lived  among  these  people  during  a 
good  portion  of  his  life,  and  ought  to  be  able  to 
judge  as  to  the  amount  of  gratitude  they  were  capa- 
ble of  feeling. 

"  But  you  ought  to  be  off  across  the  valley  your- 
self. Bob,"  ventured  Thad,  presently. 

*'  I  know  it,  suh,"  the  Southern  lad  replied, 
quickly ;  "  and  let  me  tell  you  I'm  starting  right  now 
in  better  spirits  than  I  ever  dreamed  would  be  the 
case.  I  want  to  get  back  heah  in  good  time,  so  as 
to  go  up  yondah  with  you,  and  meet  Polly." 

"  If  you're  not  too  much  played  out,"  suggested 
Allan. 

Bob  drew  his  figure  up  proudly,  as  he  went  on  to 
say: 

"  I'd  have  to  be  mighty  nigh  a  collapse,  suh,  let 
me  tell  you,  to  keep  from  goin'  to  where  I've  got  a 
chance  to  hear  about  him!"  and  they  did  not  need 
to  b«  told  who  was  meant,  for  they  knew  Bob  was 


190  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

thinking  of  his  missing  father,  whom  everybody 
had  long  believed  to  be  surely  dead. 

And  so  he  presently  vanished,  with  a  farewell 
wave  of  the  hand. 

The  other  scouts  gathered  around  the  fire,  chat- 
ting on  various  subjects,  but  principally  in  connec- 
tion with  the  recent  happening.  They  thought  it  the 
strangest  thing  in  the  world  how  two  girls  came  to 
play  a  part  in  the  affair  which  their  good  comrade. 
Bob  Quail,  was  trying  to  put  through;  and  of  such 
vastly  different  types  too,  the  one  a  plain  mountain 
maid,  and  the  other,  according  to  what  they  them- 
selves had  seen,  quite  a  dainty  little  thing,  cultured 
and  refined. 

"  Smithy,  I'm  going  too  tell  you  to  reverse  that 
badge  of  yours,"  said  the  scoutmaster,  as  they  sat 
there  around  the  fire,  waiting  for  the  return  of  the 
absent  comrade. 

Smithy  looked  up  in  surprise.  He  had  been 
smoothing  his  coat  sleeve  after  a  peculiar  habit  he 
had,  as  though  he  imagined  he  had  discovered  some 
dust  there.  And  for  the  moment  he  fancied  that 
Thad  must  be  joking  him  on  account  of  those  "  fin- 
icky "  ways,  as  Giraffe  called  them,  which  he  could 
not  wholly  throw  aside,  since  extreme  neatness  had 
long  ago  become  a  part  of  his  very  nature. 

"  That's  very  kind  of  you,  Thad,"  he  remarked, 
trying  to  appear  calm;  "  and  I'm  sure  I  feel  grateful 
for  the  privilege,  which  should  always  be  a  matter  of 


IN  THE  BLUE  KIDGE  191 

pride  I  take  it,  with  every  Boy  Scout.  But  I  am  not 
aware,  sir,  just  how  IVe  gained  the  right  to  reverse 
my  badge." 

"  By  handing  me  that  stick  when  I  asked  for  it, 
and  thereby  becoming  a  partner  with  me  in  assisting 
that  wounded  man.  You  notice  that  I'm  turning 
my  own  badge,  because  I  think  I've  earned  it  by 
this  act,  if  I  didn't  by  what  Bob  and  myself  did  to 
that  bobcat.  And  Allan,  you're  in  this  deal  also; 
you  brought  me  that  roll  of  stout  muslin  when  I 
wanted  it,  so  you  did  all  you  could." 

"And  I  helped  get  him  on  his  feet!"  declared 
Giraffe,  quickly. 

"  So  did  I !  "  exclaimed  Bumpus,  excitedly;  "  any- 
how, I  started  to  lend  a  hand;  but  there  was  so 
many  around  I  just  got  crowded  out.  But  I  wanted 
to  do  something,  sure  I  did,  Thad !  " 

"  Turn  your  badge,  then,"  ordered  the  scout- 
master, smiling.  "  In  fact,  every  scout  was  full  of 
sympathy,  and  ready  to  assist  if  called  on.  And 
under  the  circumstances,  I  just  guess  there  needn't 
be  any  badge  in  this  camp  unturned  right  now. 
To-morrow  we'll  start  fresh  again,  and  let's  see  how 
quick  all  of  us  can  follow  after  Step  Hen's  example, 
and  help  some  worthy  object  along." 

"  Even  if  it  is  only  a  poor  little  tumble-bug  that 
can't  push  his  ball  home,"  remarked  Giraffe,  with  a 


\ 


192  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

The  time  hung  heavily  upon  their  hands.  No 
doubt  this  was  partly  caused  by  their  intense  eager- 
ness to  learn  just  how  Bob  was  coming  out.  Would 
Bertha  meet  him ;  or  might  she  have  been  shut  up  in 
the  house  by  her  guardian,  stern  Reuben  Sparks? 
If  she  did  come,  would  she  bring  that  paper  which 
she  said  was  signed  with  her  dead  father's  name; 
and  supposing  it  proved  to  be  all  Bob  hoped  and 
prayed  it  would,  was  it  possible,  if  placed  in  the 
hands  of  a  competent  lawyer  in  Asheville,  that  this 
document  would  take  Bertha  from  the  custody  of 
Reuben,  and  give  her  a  home  with  Bob's  mother  up 
in  Cranford  ? 

All  these  things  were  debated  from  every  stand- 
point; and  wide-awake  boys  can  see  the  weak  links 
in  th'^  chain  about  as  quickly  as  any  one;  so  that 
Thad  was  kept  busy  explaining,  and  building  up 
plans  to  suit  the  altered  conditions. 

"  Ought  to  be  time  he  was  here,"  Giraffe  re- 
marked, as  he  stifled  a  huge  yawn. 

"  It's  sure  nearly  a  whole  hour  since  we  heard 
that  row  across  there,"  Bumpus  went  on  to  say. 
"  Seemed  like  a  whole  crowd  had  started  to  yell,  and 
dogs  to  bark.  We  none  of  us  could  make  up  our 
minds  what  it  meant.  Some  thought  the  wounded 
man  must  a  got  to  the  cabins,  an'  all  that  noise  meant 
the  kind  of  reception  a  brave  feller  gets  in  these 
parts  when  he's  brought  home  on  a  shutter.  But 
others,  they  seemed  to  b'lieve  it  might  have  had  to 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  193 

do  with  our  chum  Bob,  and  that  p'raps  he'd  been  sur- 
rounded, and  trapped  by  the  wise  old  Reuben." 

"  We  hope  not,  for  a  fact,"  declared  Thad. 

"  Well,  there's  somebody  coming  right  now,  I 
give  you  my  word !  "  observed  Smithy,  who  hap- 
pened to  be  on  the  windward  side  of  the  fire,  and 
able  to  hear  better  than  some  of  the  rest. 

"  And  from  the  right  direction,  too,"  added  Allen. 

The  patter  of  footsteps  came  closer,  and  presently 
a  dim  figure  loomed  up,  almost  staggering. 

"  It's  Bob,  all  right !  "  cried  Bumpus ;  and  Thad 
heaved  a  sigh  of  relief,  for  he  had  begun  to  fear  that 
something  might  have  happened  to  disturb  the  care- 
fully laid  plans  of  his  companion. 

The  Southern  boy  came  into  camp,  breathing 
heavily.  He  seemed  to  be  very  much  exhausted, 
but  Thad  could  detect  a  look  of  triumph  on  his  face 
that  seemed  to  tell  of  something  worth  while  having 
been  accomplished. 

Dropping  down,  Bob  motioned  for  a  drink  of 
water,  and  Step  Hen  made  haste  to  get  him  one 
from  the  collapsible  bucket  they  had  brought  along 
with  them.  Draining  the  tin  cup,  Bob  sighed  as 
though  the  cooling  liquid  went  just  to  the  right  spot, 
and  had  refreshed  him  wonderfully. 

"  It's  all  right,  Thad !  "  he  managed  to  say,  notic- 
ing the  questioning  look  that  the  other  was  bending 
upon  him. 

*'  Then  you  saw  your  cousin,  and  got  the  paper  ?  *' 


194  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

asked  the  scoutmaster,  eagerly,  while  the  rest  of 
the  boys  fairly  hung  upon  every  word. 
Bob  nodded  his  head. 

Get  my  breath  right  soon  now,"  he  remarked; 
then  tell  you  all  about  it.    Phew!    I  had  a  smart 
run,  believe  me !  " 

The  boys  exchanged  expressive  looks.  They 
drew  their  own  conclusions  from  the  little  Bob  had 
already  dropped ;  and  began  to  believe  that  he  must 
have  been  hotly  pursued.  Evidently  then,  if  this 
were  indeed  the  case,  Bob  had  met  with  an  adventure 
since  leaving  the  camp-fire,  and  a  serious  one  at 
that. 

It  is  always  a  difficult  thing  for  the  ordinary  boy 
to  restrain  his  impatience,  and  several  of  the  scouts 
squirmed  about  uneasily  while  Bob  was  trying  to 
calm  himself  down,  so  that  he  might  talk  with  rea- 
sonable comfort. 

Thad  let  him  have  his  own  time.  He  understood 
that  Bob  was  even  more  anxious  to  tell,  than  any  of 
them  were  to  hear;  and  that  just  as  quickly  as  he 
could,  he  was  sure  to  start  in. 

That  time  came  presently,  when  his  heart  began 
to  beat  less  violently;  and  as  a  consequence  Bob 
started  to  breathe  more  naturally. 

"  I  met  Bertha,"  he  began  to  say,  "  and  she  gare 
me  the  paper.  Boys,  it's  everything  I  hoped  it'd  be ; 
and  once  I  manage  to  get  it  in  the  hands  of  a  good 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  195 

lawyer,  good-bye  to  Mr.  Reuben  Sparks'  authority 
over  little  Bertha,  and  her  fortune/' 

"  Wow !  that's  going  some !  "  burst  out  Giraffe, 
rubbing  his  thin  hands  one  over  the  other,  as  though 
decidedly  pleased  by  the  news. 

"  Was  she  disappointed  when  you  told  her  how 
impossible  it  would  be  for  us  to  take  her  away  right 
now,  when  these  moonshiners  have  got  us  marooned 
up  here  in  their  blessed  old  mountains ;  and  we  can't 
turn  whichever  way  without  runnin'  slap  up  against 
a  sentry  with  his  old  gun?  "  asked  Bumpus. 

**  That's  right,  she  was  upset  when  I  told  her  that 
same,"  answered  the  other.  *'  It  made  me  feel  right 
bad  too,  suh,  to  see  how  she  took  it;  and  I  tell  you 
right  now  I  came  mighty  neah  givin'  in,  and  sayin' 
we'd  make  a  try.  But  I  remembered  what  Thad 
heah  had  told  me,  and  how  "tt  was  be^  for  all  of  us 
that  we  let  the  cou'ts  summon  old  Reuben  to  bring 
Bertha  before  the  bar  of  justice.  An'  finally,  after 
I'd  explained  it  all  to  her,  she  began  to  see  it  the 
same  way.  My  cousin  has  got  the  spirit  of  the 
Quails  all  right,  I  tell  you,  fellows,  even  if  she  is 
young  and  little. 

"  I  reckon  you  stayed  so  long  tryin'  to  convince 
her.  Bob,  that  you  clean  forgot  how  you'd  promised 
to  get  back  here  as  soon  as  you  could  ?  "  remarked 
Step  Hen,  under  the  belief,  no  doubt,  that  he  was 
giving  the  other  a  sly  dig. 

**  Well,  perhaps  you  are  correct  about  that  same. 


196  THE  BOY  SOOUTS 

suh/*  replied  Bob,  quite  unabashed ;  "  she  was  like 
most  girls,  and  had  to  be  argued  into  seeing  things 
like  boys  see  'em.  Of  course,  I  couldn't  break  away 
till  she  had  arranged  to  go  back  to  the  house,  and 
wait  for  things  to  begin  to  move,  as  they  surely 
would,  just  as  soon  as  I  get  to  Asheville.  But  there 
was  one  real  smart  thing  she  did  do,  and  I've  just 
got  to  tell  you  about  that  befo'  I  come  to  my  own 
adventure." 

"  That's  right,  don't  skip  anything,  old  chum," 
remarked  Giraffe,  warmly,  as  he  settled  down  to 
listen. 

"  When  Bertha  took  that  document  from  the  little 
pigeonhole  in  the  safe  where  he  had  it  hidden,  she 
thought  to  make  up  another  as  much  like  it  as  she 
could,  and  put  that  in  place  of  the  one  she  carried 
off.  Some  of  you  scouts  ought  to  take  pattern 
from  the  smartness  of  that  little  girl;  don't  you 
think  so,  Thad  ?  "  and  Bob  turned  his  now  smiling 
face  upon  the  patrol  leader. 

"  They  couldn't  improve  very  much  on  that  sort 
of  work,"  Thad  declared ;  "  and  if  girls  were  al- 
lowed to  join  our  troop  I'd  vote  every  time  to  let 
your  cousin  come  in.  I'm  sure  she'd  be  an  honor  to 
any  organization." 

"  Now  tell  us  what  happened  to  you.  Bob !  "  asked 
Bumpus. 

"  Well,"^  continued  the  other,  drawing  a  long 
breath  as  though  what  he  was  about  to  say  stirred 


IN  THE  BLUE  EIDGE  197 

him  once  more ;  "  I  was  just  ready  to  say  good-bye, 
when  we  heard  loud  voices,  together  with  the  bark- 
ing of  a  big  dog,  and  Old  Reuben,  with  a  man,  and 
a  mastiff  about  hip-high  burst  into  view,  both  men 
carrying  lanterns,  and  heavy  sticks  in  their  hands 
And  you  can  believe  me,  fellows,  I  understood  that 
I  was  in  for  a  little  excitement  about  that  time ! " 


CHAPTER  XXni. 

A  CLIMB  IN  THE  DARK. 

"  That's  where  you  had  ought  to  have  had  our 
gun,  Bob,"  remarked  Giraffe,  as  the  other  paused 
for  a  moment,  to  recover  his  Dreath  before  going  on 
with  his  exacting  recital. 

"I  was  about  of  that  opinion  myself,  suh,"  the 
other  continued;  "and  I  reckon  that  if  such  had 
been  the  case,  there  would  have  been  one  less  mastiff 
in  the  world  right  now.  But  after  all,  it's  well  I 
didn't  take  the  weapon.  Things  would  have  gone 
different  from  what  they  did;  and  I  have  no  fault 
to  find,  suh,  not  a  bit.'' 

"  But  what  did  you  do ;  don't  tell  us  you  beat  a 
big  dog  runnin'  ? "  demanded  Bumpus,  incredu- 
lously. 

"  I  am  not  so  foolish  as  to  want  you  to  believe  that 


198  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

sort  of  stuff,  suh,"  replied  the  Southern  boy,  stiffly. 
"  I  doubt  very  much  if  there  is  a  man  living,  even 
the  winner  of  the  great  world  Marathon,  who  could 
have  outrun  that  hound.  Fortunately  I  didn't  have 
to  depend  on  my  heels  altogether,  to  escape  being 
bitten  by  his  fangs.  There  chanced  to  be  another 
way  out  of  the  hole.'' 

"  Say,  I  guess  she  had  a  hand  in  it !  '*  suggested 
Giraffe. 

^'  Go  up  to  the  head,  suh,"  remarked  Bob,  with  a 
smile ;  "  because  that  is  just  what  did  come  about. 
Old  Reuben,  he  must  have  managed  to  catch  sight 
of  some  one,  even  if  he  wasn't  nigh  enough  to  tell 
that  I  was  dressed  in  the  uniform  of  a  scout.  He 
up  and  sicked  the  dog  on  me;  and  I  reckon  it 
wouldn't  have  mattered  one  bit  to  that  cold-blooded 
old  man  if  the  ugly  beast  had  torn  me  badly." 

"  And  was  you  arunnin'  like  fun  all  the  while  ?  " 
asked  Step  Hen. 

"  I  believe  I  was  making  pretty  fast  time,  suh, 
consider  in'  that  the  bushes  in  the  garden  interfered 
with  my  sprinting.  But  that  dog  would  have  caught 
up  with  me  befo'  I  ever  could  have  climbed  the  high 
fence,  only  for  a  thing  that  happened.  First  thing 
I  knew  I  heard  Bertha  calling  at  the  top  of  her  little 
voice  to  the  mastiff.  And  I  reckon  now  that  Ajax, 
he  must  have  been  more  used  to  mindin'  the  crook  of 
her  little  finger  than  he  was  the  orders  of  Old  Reu- 
ben.   Fo',  believe  me,  suh,  he  just  gave  over  chasin' 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  199 

after  me,  and  went,  and  began  to  fawnin'  on  her 
hand." 

"  Great  stuff !  "  declared  Bumpus.  "  Say,  I  c'n 
just  think  I  see  that  Old  Rube  prancin'  around  there, 
order  in'  Ajex  on  to  grab  you,  an'  gettin'  madder 'n 
madder  when  the  wise  dog  just  utterly  declined  to 
obey.  I  always  heard  that  the  sun  c'd  force  a  feller 
to  take  his  coat  off,  when  the  wind  made  a  dead 
fizzle  out  of  the  job.  Kindness  goes  further  with 
some  animals  than  fear  does." 

"Hear!  hear!  words  of  wisdom  dropping  like 
pearls  of  great  price  from  the  lips  of  our  comrade, 
Bumpus !  "  cried  Giraffe. 

"  But  they're  true,  every  word,  all  right,"  affirmed 
the  stout  scout,  firmly. 

"  I  kept  on  running  for  two  reasons,  "  Bob  went 
on  to  explain.  "  In  the  first  place,  I  didn't  know 
but  what  the  dog  might  be  forced  to  alter  his  ways, 
and  start  out  after  me.  Then  again,  p'raps  that  man 
with  Old  Reuben  might  be  coming,  licketty-split 
after  me;  and  I  want  you  to  believe  I  didn't  mean 
to  be  caught,  with  that  valuable  paper  in  my  pocket 
at  that." 

"  So  you  made  pretty  warm  time  of  it  over  here, 
eh  ?  "  remarked  Davy  Jones,  who  had  remained  quiet 
for  some  time,  being  deeply  impressed  by  this  story 
which  the  other  was  giving  them. 

"  I  never  let  up  for  two  minutes  at  a  time  all  the 
way  across,"  admitted  Bob,  in  a  satisfied  tone.    "  Of 


200  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

course  I  had  a  few  tumbles,  but  I  reckon  there  was 
none  of  'em  serious;  leastways  I  didn't  get  bruised, 
or  tear  my  clothes.  And  now  that  I've  got  my  breath 
back  again,  it's  time  we  thought  of  starting  out;  be- 
cause there's  heaps  mo'  that's  got  to  be  done  before 
we  c'n  call  a  rest." 

"  Yes,  a  great  deal,"  admitted  Thad,  who,  how- 
ever, was  well  pleased  with  the  outcome  thus  far; 
'^  and  after  you've  lain  here  about  ten  minutes  or  so. 
Bob,  we'll  see  whether  you  feel  able  to  take  that 
other  climb.  If  you  don't  why,  Allan  here  could  go 
in  your  place." 

"And  do  just  as  well,  I  have  no  doubt,  suh," 
added  Bob ;  "  but  thank  you,  I  shall  surely  be  able 
to  take  my  part  in  that  climb.  If  you  gave  the  word 
right  now  you'd  see  me  spring  to  my  feet,  and  start ; 
because  there's  every  reason  in  the  world  to  spur  me 
on.    Who  wouldn't  make  an  extra  effort  for  that?  " 

The  hour  had  grown  late,  since  they  had  waited 
much  beyond  the  appointed  time  for  the  return  of 
the  messenger  who  had  gone  to  meet  Bertha.  But 
Thad  knew  they  still  had  an  abundance  of  time  to 
i  get  to  the  place  arranged  with  Polly,  before  mid- 
night, which  had  been  the  hour  set  for  their  meet- 
ing. 

"  Now,  if  you  feel  refreshed,  we'll  make  a  start. 
Bob,"  remarked  the  scoutmaster,  after  a  bit. 

The  other  was  on  his  feet  instantly,  and  he  gave 
not  the  slightest  sign  of  weariness  at  that. 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  201 

"  Let  me  have  just  one  more  cup  of  that  fine 
water./'  he  remarked,  "  and  then  I'm  in  fine  fettle  for 
business.  If  this  second  job  only  turns  out  as  hand- 
some as  that  other,  this'll  sure  be  the  happiest  night 
ever.  But  I  hope  that  Reuben  does  not  lay  his 
hand  on  my  cousin  for  what  has  happened  this  night. 
If  he  does,  he'll  suffer  for  it,  as  sure  as  my  name's 
Bob  Quail." 

"  You  don't  really  think  he'd  go  as  far  as  to  strike 
her,  do  you  ?  "  asked  Thad,  to  whom  the  very  idea 
seemed  abhorrent. 

"  I  don't  just  know  how  far  a  man  of  his  stripe 
would  go  if  made  very  furious,  suh.  To  tell  you  the 
truth,  I  didn't  want  to  run  at  all ;  but  Bertha  insisted 
on  my  doing  the  same.  She  said  nothing  was  going 
to  happen  to  injure  her;  and  that  if  I  was  caught, 
with  that  paper  in  my  possession,  she  never  would 
have  the  least  chance  to  get  away.  And  that  was 
all  that  made  me  run,  believe  me,  suh." 

Thad  took  his  shotgun  along  with  him;  and  no- 
ticing the  queer  look  Giraffe  gave  him,  he  conde- 
scended to  explain. 

"  Don't  believe  for  a  minute  that  I  expect  to  make 
use  of  this  on  some  moonshiner,"  he  said,  earnestly, 
yet  with  a  trace  of  a  smile  lurking  about  the  corners 
of  his  mouth.  "  The  mission  of  Boy  Scouts  is  more 
to  bind  up,  than  to  give  wounds;  though  they  are 
allowed  to  do  this  other  in  extreme  cases,  where 
some  person's  life  may  be  in  danger.     But  you  re* 


202  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

member,  we  ran  across  a  nasty  bobcat  up  yonder 
once  before;  and  if  so  be  she  happens  to  be  laying 
for  us,  I'd  Hke  to  be  prepared  for  trouble.  A  scout 
should  never  go  around  with  a  chip  on  his  shoulder 
looking  for  trouble;  but  if  it  finds  him  out,  why, 
he's  just  got  to  defend  himself.  That's  the  way  I 
look  at  it;  and  most  others  do  too.  Come  on.  Bob, 
if  yor're  ready." 

When  the  two  boys  quitted  camp  Bob  was  walk* 
ing  as  sprucely  as  ever.  If  he  still  felt  the  effects 
of  his  long  run  he  knew  how  to  conceal  the  fact  in 
the  finest  way — Giraffe,  Bumpus,  Step  Hen,  Smithy, 
and  Davy  Jones  believed  they  had  ever  seen.  Only 
Allan,  being  experienced  in  such  things,  could  see 
that  Bob  was  laboring  under  a  heavy  strain,  and  had 
his  teeth  tightly  clenched ;  though  the  body  might  be 
weak,  it  was  an  indomitable  spirit  that  urged  him 
on. 

Between  them  the  two  boys  had  noted  things  when 
coming  down  the  mountain  that  afternoon,  and  in 
this  way  picked  out  the  course  they  expected  to  take 
on  that  same  night.  It  was  rough  enough,  especially 
when  they  had  to  do  their  climbing  in  the  dark ;  since 
carrying  a  lighted  lantern  would  be  foolhardy  in  the 
extreme. 

Bob's  impatience  took  him  in  the  lead  most  of  the 
time.  Thad  cautioned  his  impetuous  companion  in 
low  whispers  several  times;  and  yet,  knowing  what 
the  motive  was  that  drew  Bob  along  in  such  feverish 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDOE  20d 

haste,  he  could  hardly  blame  him.  At  the  same  time 
he  knew  the  danger  of  making  a  false  step  when  they 
happened  to  be  close  to  the  brink  of  some  steep 
descent,  down  which  a  roll  meant  instant  death,  or 
at  least  broken  bones. 

As  they  climbed  upwards  they  would  pause  every 
little  while  to  get  a  new  supply  of  energy,  as  well 
as  recover  their  breath.  And  at  such  times  both  boys 
eagerly  scanned  the  black  gulf  that  lay  below  them. 

It  had  not  taken  their  keen  eyes  long  to  discover 
several  lights  that  seemed  to  move  in  eccentric  cir- 
cles and  other  movements.  Nor  was  either  of  them 
at  a  loss  to  understand  what  this  implied. 

"  The  moonshiner  videttes  are  having  another 
talk,"  Bob  remarked,  as  they  sat  and  watched  several 
lights  carrying  on  in  this  weird  fashion. 

"  Seems  like  it,"  said  Thad,  thoughtfully. 

"  I  wonder  now,  what  is  being  carried  along  the 
lines?  It'd  be  a  great  stunt,  Thad,  if  we  could  read 
the  signs,  and  listen  to  the  talk,  wouldn't  it?  P'raps 
now  we'd  learn  something  to  our  advantage,"  the 
Southern  lad  went  on,  longingly. 

"  Well,  as  we  haven't  got  the  code  book,"  laughed 
the  scoutmaster,  "  that  would  be  a  pretty  hard  job, 
I  take  it." 

"  But  still,"  Bob  continued,  with  a  shade  of  en- 
treaty in  his  voice  that  was  hard  to  resist,  "  I  take 
it  that  you  could  give  a  guess  that  would  come 
pretty  nigh  the  truth,  if  you  cared  to  try,  Thad." 


204  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

"  Well,  I  don't  know  about  that/'  replied  the  other 
scout ;  and  then  adding,  as  he  realized  that  Bob  was 
grieved :  "  I'm  willing  enough  to  make  a  try,  if  you 
think  it  would  pay.  Let's  see,  first  of  all,  where 
these  fellows  are  located  who  are  doing  all  this  com- 
municating." 

"  There's  one  on  the  side  of  the  mountain  over 
yonder,"  declared  Bob ;  "  then  that's  a  second  fellow 
across  the  valley;  you  can  see  his  lantern  or  torch 
dipping  every  which  way;  now  he's  stopped,  as  if 
he'd  been  asking  more  questions.  And  Thad,  seems 
to  me,  the  one  that's  doing  the  heft  of  the  jabbering 
is  located  down  yonder.  Like  as  not  the  informa- 
tion's coming  from  him." 

"  That's  across  the  valley,  Bob  ?  "  remarked  Thad. 

"  You're  correct,  suh ;  somewhere  neah  the  place 
from  which  I  was  chased  away  not  more  than  two 
hours  back.    That's  where  the  cabins  lie." 

"  And  that's  where  Nate  and  the  other  mountain 
man  took  Cliff  Doric,"  continued  the  scoutmaster. 
Now,  you  can  put  things  together  yourself,  if  only 
you  think,  Bob.  Don't  you  see  that  Nate  is  probably 
telling  these  other  fellows  all  about  what  happened 
to  Cliff.  And  I  certainly  do  hope  he  doesn't  forget 
to  give  us  our  due  in  the  matter,  for  it  would  go  a 
great  way  toward  making  these  rough  men  our 
friends.  You  know  only  too  well  what  that  would 
mean,  Bob.  Friends  with  Phin  Dady  just  now 
might  be  the  means  of  giving  you  back  your  father.** 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  205 

Bob  sighed  heavily  as  he  started  on  again,  urged 
by  a  desire  to  come  upon  Polly  as  soon  as  possible, 
and  learn  the  truth,  no  matter  whether  the  news 
proved  a  disappointment,  or  not. 

But  in  his  haste  he  forgot  the  caution  Thad  was 
trying  always  to  instill  in  his  mind;  for  stumbling 
presently,  he  found  himself  toppling  over  an  un- 
known abyss  that  lay  in  the  darkness,  so  that  its  ex- 
tent could  not  be  seen. 

Thad  had  kept  very  close  to  his  heels,  and  was 
prepared  for  something  like  this,  so  that  he  acted 
from  impulse,  there  being  not  a  second  to  give  to 
thinking. 


20a  THE  BOY.  SCOUTS 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

THE  CLOCK  IN  THE  SKY. 

"  Oh  !  Thad !  " 

Bob  unconsciously  gave  utterance  to  this  low,  bub- 
bling cry  as  he  felt  the  ground  slipping  from  under 
him,  and  his  eyes  looking  down  into  an  inky  void. 
Then  something  clutched  hold  of  him,  and  his  down- 
ward progress  was  stayed.  Thad  had  shot  out  a 
hand,  and  grasped  his  chum  by  one  of  his  legs,  at  the 
same  time  bracing  himself  for  the  shock. 

This  he  did  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  dropping 
his  gun,  and  with  that  hand  laying  hold  of  a  sapling 
that,  fortunately,  chanced  to  be  within  easy  reach. 

"  Careful,  don't  kick  more  than  you  can  help. 
Bob,"  he  remarked,  as  coolly  as  he  possibly  could, 
though  a  sensation  akin  to  horror  swept  over  him 
immediately  he  had  acted.  "  I've  got  a  good  grip 
on  you,  and  my  other  hand  is  holding  on  to  a  stout 
little  sapling,  so  we  just  can't  go  down.  Now  work 
yourself  back,  inch  by  inch,  as  well  as  you  can. 
Yo-heave-o!  here  you  come!  Another  try.  Bob! 
That  gave  us  quite  some  distance.    Ready  to  make  it 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  207 

again?  Why,  this  is  easy.  Here  you  are  now,  al- 
together boys,  with  a  will !  " 

And  after  half  a  dozen  of  these  concerted  pulls 
and  backward  movements.  Bob  found  that  he  had 
reached  a  spot  where  he  could  take  care  of  himself. 

"  Whew !  that  was  what  I  call  a  close  call !  "  he 
muttered.  "  I  wonder,  now,  just  how  far  down  I'd 
have  had  to  go,  if  you  hadn't  been  clever  enough  to 
grab  me  just  in  time?  " 

"  We're  not  going  to  bother  our  heads  about  that, 
Bob,"  replied  the  other,  quickly;  *'  only  please  go  a 
bit  slower.  We  won't  make  any  time,  if  we  have 
to  stop,  and  go  through  that  circus  stunt  every  little 
while.  And  Bob,  it  might  happen  that  I'd  lose  my 
grip,  and  either  let  you  go  down,  or  there' d  be  two 
of  us  take  the  drop.  Does  it  pay  to  try  and  make 
speed  at  such  a  terrible  risk  ?  " 

"  You're  right,  just  like  you  always  are,  Thad," 
replied  the  hasty  and  now  penitent  one;  ''and  I'm 
sure  a  fool  for  taking  chances  that  way.  Here,  you 
go  up  ahead,  and  set  the  pace.  That's  the  only  way 
we  can  fix  it ;  because,  like  as  not  inside  of  five  min- 
utes  I'd  be  rushing  along  again  for  all  I'm  worth." 

"  Perhaps  that  would  be  the  best  plan,"  Thad  ob- 
served, with  a  chuckle.  "  I  thought  of  it,  but  didn't 
want  to  make  you  feel  that  I  distrusted  your  leader- 
ship. And  I  want  to  say  right  now  that  it  isn't  that 
makes  me  take  the  lead,  only  because  you  are  so 
excited  that  you're  not  fit  to  judge  things  right." 


208  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

"  But  don't  let's  waste  any  more  precious  time, 
Thad.  Polly  might  have  gotten  to  the  place  ahead 
of  us,  you  know.  Oh !  wouldn't  I  be  sore  if  she  got 
tired  of  waiting,  and  went  back  home." 

"  All  the  same,"  Thad  remarked,  confidently,  "  I 
don't  think  Polly  would  ever  do  such  a  mean  thing 
as  that.  She  understands  just  how  crazy  you  are  to 
know,  and  she's  right  now  putting  herself  in  your 
place.  No,  Polly  will  wait  up  for  us,  make  your 
mind  easy  on  that,  Bob.  I  wish  I  was  as  sure  that 
we'd  get  there,  safe  and  sound." 

"  Oh !  I'm  done  with  my  capers,  mind  you,  Thad,'* 
returned  Bob,  eagerly.  "  Since  you've  taken  the 
lead,  there's  no  chance  for  us  to  go  pitching  over  a 
precipice.  When  they  catch  a  weasel  asleep,  and  no 
mortal  man  ever  did  that,  I've  heard,  they'll  hear 
of  Thad  Brewster  making  a  fool  move." 

"  It's  nice  of  you  to  say  that,  anyway.  Bob ;  I  only 
wish  I  deserved  the  compliment  you  pay  me.  But 
we'd  better  talk  less,  and  get  on  a  little  faster." 

And  after  Thad  had  given  this  gentle  little  hint 
the  conversation  lagged;  Bob  realized  that  it  was 
really  no  time  to  carry  on  any  sort  of  talk;  and  that 
when  they  could  not  tell  what  dangers  might  be 
close  around  them  in  that  inky  darkness,  they 
would  be  far  wiser  to  keep  a  padlock  on  their  lips. 

Each  time  they  stopped  they  again  saw  the  signal 
lights  flashing  out  here  and  there  across  the  way,  or 
below.     They  seemed  like  giant  fireflies,  striving  to 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  209 

free  themselves  from  some  invisible  bonds.  But 
the  boys  knew  very  well  what  it  meant,  and  that  the 
moonshiners  of  the  Blue  Ridge  were  holding  an 
animated  fire  talk. 

They  met  no  animal  on  the  way,  which  Thad 
thought  w^as  a  piece  of  good  luck.  Even  though 
he  did  carry  his  faithful  little  Marlin,  which  could 
send  a  powerful  charge  of  shot  a  long  distance;  and 
close  in,  serve  all  the  purposes  of  a  big  bore  rifle, 
or  musket,  all  the  same,  Thad  was  not  desirous  of 
meeting  with  any  new  and  thrilling  adventure. 

Such  things  were  all  very  nice  after  they  had 
passed  along,  and  one  sat  comfortably  by  a  camp- 
fire,  relating  the  circumstance;  but  while  in  process 
of  action  they  were  apt  to  bring  a  cold  chill  along 
in  their  train,  not  at  all  comfortable. 

"  It  must  be  after  the  time  we  set,  isn't  it,  Thad?  " 
Bob  finally  asked,  in  a  low  voice,  when  they  rested 
again. 

The  scoutmaster  could  not  look  at  his  little  cheap 
but  reliable  watch  without  striking  a  match;  and 
there  was  really  no  necessity  for  doing  that.  It 
made  very  little  difference  whether  they  were  ahead, 
or  somewhat  behind  the  hour  arranged  for  their 
meeting  with  Polly.  And  besides,  there  were  other 
ways  of  telling  time  pretty  accurately,  without  even 
having  a  watch  al©ng. 

Thad  glanced  up  into  the  heavens.  He  had  often 
studied  the  bright  worlds  and  suns  to  be  seen  there, 


210  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

and  knew  considerable  about  the  positions  they  oc« 
cupied,  changing,  it  might  be,  with  the  coming  and 
going  of  the  seasons. 

"  It's  just  close  on  to  midnight,  Bob,*'  he  observed, 
presently. 

Of  course  Bob  was  at  once  interested. 

"  You're  saying  that  because  of  the  stars,  Thad," 
he  remarked.  "  Please  tell  me  how  you  managed  to 
tell." 

"  It's  like  this,"  the  scoutmaster  replied,  not 
averse  to  pointing  a  lesson  that  might  be  seed  sown 
in  fertile  ground ;  "  notice  those  three  rather  small 
stars  in  the  northeast,  all  in  a  line  and  pointing 
downward  ?  Well,  those  are  what  they  call  tHe  belt 
of  Orion,  the  Hunter.  They  point  nearly  direct 
down  to  a  mighty  bright  blue  star  that  you  see  there, 
twinkling  like  everything." 

"  Yes,  I've  often  noticed  that,  and  I  reckon  it 
must  be  a  planet  near  as  big  as  Venus  or  Jupiter," 
remarked  the  other  boy. 

Thad  laughed. 

"  Well,"  he  remarked,  "  I  guess  now  you'd  think 
me  crazy  if  I  told  you  just  how  far  that  same  star 
is  away  from  us  right  now,  ever  so  many  times  fur- 
ther than  either  of  the  planets  you  speak  of.  Why, 
Bob,  that's  Sirius,  the  Dog  Star,  said  to  be  the  big- 
gest sun  known  to  astronomers.  Our  little  sun 
wouldn't  make  a  spot  beside  that  terrible  monster; 


IN  THE  BLUE  KIDGE  211: 

which  may  be  the  central  sun,  around  which  ail  the 
other  tens  of  thousands  revolve  everlastingly." 

"  Oh !  yes,  I've  heard  of  the  Dog  Star,  but  never 
reckoned  it  amounted  to  anything  in  particular,"  de- 
clared the  Southern  lad,  interested,  in  spite  of  the 
anxiety  that  was  gnawing  at  his  heart  all  the  while ; 
"  but  suppose  you  go  on,  suh,  and  explain  to  m^ 
how  you  can  tell  the  time  of  night  by  consulting  the 
Dog  Star.    You  sure  have  got  me  to  guessing." 

"  Nothing  could  be  easier,  if  only  you'd  put  your 
mind  to  it,  and  think.  Bob?"  continued  the  patrol 
leader.  "  These  stars  and  planets  rise  at  a  certain 
hour  every  night.  It  grows  later  all  the  while,  and 
many  of  them  are  not  seen  only  half  of  the  year,  be- 
cause they  are  above  us  in  the  daytime  the  rest  of  the 
twelve  months.  Now  suppose  you  had  watched  that 
star,  as  I  did  last  night,  and  knew  just  when  it  crept 
above  that  mountain  ridge  over  yonder;  you'd  have 
a  line  on  when  it  could  be  expected  to  come  up  to- 
night.   Now  do  you  see  ?  " 

"  Well,  it's  as  simple  as  two  and  two  make  four," 
replied  Bob.  "  And  so  that's  the  way  old  hunters 
tell  the  time  at  night,  do  they?  Reading  the  clock 
in  the  sky,  you  might  call  it,  Thad.  I'm  sure  going 
to  remember  all  about  that;  and  later  on,  when  my 
mind's  at  rest,  I'll  ask  you  a  heap  more  questions 
about  these  things.  They  get  more  and  more  inter- 
esting the  deeper  you  dip  in;  ain't  that  so» 
Thad  ?  " 


212  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

"  I've  found  it  that  way,"  replied  the  scout  leader, 
quietly.  "  A  fellow  who  keeps  his  eyes  and  ears 
open  can  almost  hear  the  stars  whispering  together, 
they  say;  and  as  to  the  secrets  the  wind  tells  to  the 
trees  in  passing,  why  that's  easy  to  understand. 
But  if  you're  rested  by  now,  Bob,  we'd  better  be  on 
the  move  once  more." 

Only  too  willingly  did  Bob  agree.  He  believed 
that  they  must  by  this  time  be  very  nearly  up  to  the 
point  where  Polly  had  agreed  to  meet  them.  She 
had  asked  Bob  if  he  remembered  the  place;  and  he 
in  return  had  declared  he  could  easily  find  it,  even 
in  the  darkness  of  night;  for  often  had  he  climbed 
the  face  of  this  ridge  when  he  lived  close  by;  for 
at  the  time,  his  father  had  owned  the  very  place 
where  Old  Reuben  Sparks  now  had  his  home,  the 
miser  having  purchased  it  from  Mrs.  Quail  upon  her 
moving  North  with  her  son. 

"  Keep  on  the  lookout  for  three  oak  trees  grow- 
ing close  together,  Thad,"  he  said,  presently.  "  It's 
always  been  a  landmark  around  here,  because  any 
one  can  see  it  from  the  valley,  you  know.  I  reckon, 
now,  we  must  be  close  by  the  same;  and  I'd  hate 
to  miss  it  in  the  dark.  It's  been  some  time  since 
I  was  up  here,  and  I'm  apt  to  get  mixed  a  bit." 

"  Well,  I  think  you've  done  mighty  well  so  far ; 
because,  unless  my  eyes  deceive  me,  there's  the 
place  right  ahead  of  us,"  Thad  declared. 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  213 

"  You're  right  about  that,"  Bob  added,  fever- 
ishly; ^'  that's  the  place  of  the  three  mountain  oaks; 
and  they  stand  out  against  the  sky,  now  we've 
changed  our  position.  Oh!  I'm  beginning  to  shake 
all  over,  Thad,  I'm  that  anxious.  What  if  Polly 
shouldn't  be  on  hand?  Perhaps  she  just  couldn't 
learn  anything,  after  all,  and  will  only  come  to  tell 
me  she  did  her  best ;  but  they  keep  the  Still  guarded 
too  close,  and  she  couldn't  get  close  in.  There's  a 
dozen,  yes,  twenty  things  that  might  come  up  to 
upset  my  hopes.  They  don't  seem  so  strong,  Thad, 
now  that  we've  got  to  the  point." 

"  Well,  I  wouldn't  let  myself  get  in  any  sort  of 
gloom  about  it  yet,  anyway.  Bob.  Time  enough  ta 
cry  after  the  milk  is  spilt.  Here  we  are  at  the  oaks, 
and  we'll  wait  for  Polly  to  come,  if  she's  late;  but 
I'm  dead  certain  she'll  keep  her  word  with  you. 
When  a  girl  like  Polly  says  she'll  do  a  thing,  you  can 
just  make  up  your  mind  she  will,  unless  the  heavens 
fall." 

"  That's  right  peart  o'  you,  suh,"  said  a  soft 
voice  close  by;  and  they  heard  a  rustling  sound,  as 
though  some  one  might  be  coming  out  from  amidst 
the  dense  foliage  just  beyond  the  three  oaks. 
"  Here's  Polly,  be'n  awaitin'  this  half  hour  fur 
you-uns  to  kim  along.  An'  she's  agettin'  right 
sleepy,  let  me  tell  yuh." 

Thad  felt  his  chum  quivering  with  eagerness  as 
the  mountain  girl  made  her  way  carefully  down  to 


214  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

where  they  awaited  her  coming.  What  sort  of 
news  Polly  could  be  bringing  neither  of  them  could 
so  much  as  guess ;  but  it  would  not  be  long  now  ere 
Bob  knew  the  best,  or  the  worst 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  215 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

BOB  GETS  HIS  REWARD. 

Nearer  came  the  rustling.  They  could  not  yet 
see  Polly,  on  account  of  the  darkness,  but  the  sound 
of  her  voice  had  reassured  them. 

Presently  a  moving  figure  crept  close  up  to  the 
waiting  boys;  which  they  knew  must  be  the  queer 
mountain  girl.  Polly  was  far  from  dainty  looking  ; 
she  had  coarse  black  hair  that  possibly  seldom  knew 
a  comb ;  and  her  voice  was  rather  harsh ;  but  never- 
theless Thad  believed  she  had  a  heart  under  this  for- 
bidding exterior,  and  that  the  spirit  of  gratitude  was 
transforming  her,  greatly  to  their  advantage. 

"  Pm  right  glad  yuh  kim,  even  if  'twar  late,"  she 
said,  as  she  reached  their  side. 

'*  We  started  as  soon  as  we  could,  Polly,"  said 
Bob,  wondering  if  the  girl  really  felt  hurt  because 
she  had  been  kept  waiting.  "  You  see,  I  had  to 
cross  the  valley,  and  talk  with  my  cousin.  Bertha.  It 
was  very  important  that  I  should  see  her,  for  she 
had  news  to  give  me,  news  that  we  hope  will  end  in 
taking  her  away  from  that  cruel  old  miser,  and  giv- 
ing her  over  to  the  keeping  of  my  own  dear  mother." 


ii 
(( 


216  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

Polly  grunted,  as  though  she  felt  that  she  had  to 
exhibit  some  sign  of  displeasure;  but  she  said  no 
more  on  that  subject. 

I  done  found  the  Still,"  she  remarked,  simply. 
That's  good,  Polly,"  Bob  said,  warmly. 
Caus  I'd  be'n  thar  afore,  but  'twas  a  long  time 
ago,"  she  went  on,  as  if  in  apology  for  any  difficulty 
she  may  have  run  across  in  finding  the  secret  work- 
shop of  her  father. 

"  Yes,"  Bob  went  on,  encouragingly,  as  she 
stopped. 

^'  Yuh  see,  they  don't  want  gals  er  wimen  ahangin' 
'round  thar.  An'  ever  since  they  begun  ter  keep  a 
prisoner  ter  work  ther  mash,  I  reckons  as  how  never 
one  hes  be'n  up  ter  thet  place." 

"  But  you  hadn't  forgotten  just  how  to  get  there, 
had  you,  Polly ;  you  knew  the  old  trail,  even  with  its 
changes;  and  did  they  have  a  prisoner;  or  was  it 
just  a  story  that's  been  going  around  all  this  time?  " 

Bob's  impatience  could  not  hold  back  any  longer. 
He  felt  that  he  must  know  the  truth  with  regard  to 
this  fact,  right  away.  If  there  was  no  prisoner  after 
all,  then  hope  must  sink  out  of  sight.  On  the  other 
hand,  should  Polly  say  that  she  had  discovered  a 
guard,  and  a  patient  working  figure  kept  in  restraint 
for  long,  weary  months,  he  might  still  hug  that  fond 
illusion  to  his  heart,  that  it  might  yet  turn  out  to 
be  his  own  father. 

"  Yep,  I  gut  thar,  even  if  they  had  hid  the  trail 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  217 

right  smart,"  the  girl  continued,  "  an'  sure  *nuff,  thaf 
war  a  prisoner !  " 

"  Oh !  "  said  Bob,  and  Thad  could  feel  him  quiver 
again  with  eagerness. 

The  girl  was  slow,  not  because  she  wished  to  tan- 
talize Bob,  but  simply  on  account  of  her  sluggish 
nature.  The  hook-worm  has  a  firm  grip  upon  most 
of  the  "  poor  whites  "of  North  Carolina,  as  well  as 
in  Tennessee  and  Georgia  close  at  hand.  It  would 
take  something  out  of  the  common  to  arouse  Polly; 
a  sudden  peril  perhaps ;  or  the  anticipation  of  a  new 
dress,  which  latter  could  not  be  an  event  occurring 
in  less  than  yearly  stages,  Thad  had  thought. 

"  An'  he  war  a  man,"  Polly  went  on,  dreamily ; 

"  jest  like  yuh  thought.  Bob ;  but  his  hair  hed  growed 

so  long,  and  thar  was  so  much  beard  on  his  face,  I 

jest  reckons  his  own  mother  wudn't  never  a  knowed 

im. 

"  But  did  you  get  close  enough  to  him  to  say  a 
single  word,  Polly — just  to  ask  him  who  he  was?  " 
the  boy  demanded,  faintly. 

Thad  unconsciously  let  his  arm  glide  around  the 
figure  of  his  chum.  He  seemed  to  fear  the  result, 
no  matter  what  the  answer  of  the  mountain  girl 
might  be. 

"  Sure  I  did.  Thet's  w^hat  I  went  up  thar  fur, 
ain't  it  ?  "  Polly  went  on  to  say.  "  They  hed  him 
chained  ter  ther  rock.  I  reckons  thar  mout  a  be'n  a 
guard  alongside,  sum  o'  ther  time ;  but  right  then  he 


218  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

must  a  be'n  away.  So  arter  peekin*  around,  an'  not 
seein'  any  critter  astandin'  sentry,  I  jest  mosied  up 
clost  ter  ther  man,  an'  touched  him  on  ther  arm." 

She  paused  again,  as  if  to  collect  her  thoughts, 
and  then  yawned ;  but  it  was  only  through  habit,  and 
not  because  Polly  felt  sleepy;  far  from  it,  she  was 
seldom  more  wide-awake  than  just  then,  though  it 
was  hard  for  Thad  to  believe  it. 

"  He  looked  kinder  s'prised  tuh  see  me,  'cause 
like  I  done  tole  yuh,  gals,  they  ain't  never  be'n  'lowed 
'round  thar,  sense  he  was  took.  In  course  I  tole 
him  as  how  I  jest  kim  ter  fin'  out  who  he  mout  be, 
'case  thar  was  somebody  as  'peared  mighty  wantin' 
ter  know  thet  same." 

"  And  did  he  tell  you ;  could  he  speak  still,  and  ex- 
plain? "  asked  Bob. 

"  He  shore  cud,  Bob,"  she  replied,  a  little  more 
earnestly  now,  as  though  she  realized  that  the  criti- 
cal point  of  her  narrative  had  been  reached.  "  I 
never'd  a  knowed  him,  wid  all  ther  hair  on  his  face ; 
but  when  he  says  his  name  it  was  shore  enuff — " 
and  she  paused  dramatically. 

"  My  father?  "  gasped  Bob. 

"  Yep,  an'  no  other  then  Mistah  Quail,  as  used  ter 
be  ther  marshal  o'  this  deestrict  sum  years  ago, — 
yer  own  dad,  Bob!  " 

Thad  tightened  his  grip  upon  his  chum,  for  he 
felt  him  quivering  violently.  It  was  a  tremendous 
shock,  since,  for  more  than  two  years  now.  Bob  and 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  219 

his  mother  had  been  forced  to  believe  the  one  they 
loved  so  dearly  must  be  dead;  but  they  say  that  joy 
never  kills,  and  presently  Bob  was  able  to  command 
his  voice  again. 

"  Oh !  you'll  never  know  what  that  means  to  me, 
Polly !  "  he  exclaimed,  as  he  groped  around  until  he 
had  found  the  girl's  hand,  which  doubtless  he 
pressed  warmly  in  his  great  gratitude.  "  To  think 
that  my  poor  father  has  been  alive  all  this  time,  and 
a  slave  up  here  in  the  wild  mountains,  while  mother 
and  I  have  been  enjoying  all  the  comforts  and  lux- 
uries of  our  home.  It  just  seems  to  cut  me  to  the 
heart.    But  Polly,  you  talked  with  him,  didn't  you?  " 

"  Shore  I  did.  He  done  tole  me  he  mout  a  got 
free  a  long  time  ago,  if  he'd  'greed  ter  promise  my 
dad  never  ter  tell  whar  ther  ole  Still  war  hid;  an' 
never  ter  kim  inter  ther  mountings  agin  ahuntin' 
moonshine  stuff.  But  he  sez  as  how,  sense  he  still 
must  be  in  ther  employ  o'  ther  Gov'nment,  he's 
bound  ter  do  his  duty ;  an'  not  in  er  thousand  years 
wud  he  change  his  mind.'* 

"  Oh !  that  is  jest  like  father,"  murmured  the  boy, 
partly  in  admiration,  yet  with  a  touch  of  genuine 
grief  in  his  voice,  because  of  the  unnecessary  suffer- 
ing they  had  all  endured  on  account  of  this  stubborn 
trait  on  the  part  of  the  one-time  marshal. 

"  I  tells  him  thet  all  ther  same,  he  wa'n't  agwine 
ter  stay  thar  much  longer,  it  didn't  matter  whether 
he  guv  ther  promise  er  not,  'case  thar  hed  be'n  a 


220  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

change.  An'  then  I  ups  an'  tells  him  'bout  yer  bein' 
hyar  in  ther  mountings,  bound  ter  larn  ef  he  was 
erlive." 

"  Yes,  and  was  he  pleased  when  he  heard  that, 
Polly?"  asked  Bob,  who  was  gradually  coming 
around  in  fine  shape,  now  that  the  stupendous  dis- 
closure had  been  accomplished,  and  his  anxiety  a 
thing  of  the  past. 

"  I  shud  say  he  war,"  replied  the  girl,  a  little 
aroused  now.  "  Say,  he  done  cry^  thet's  what. 
Reckons  as  how  he  mout  a  be'n  sorry  fur  not  prom- 
isin'  like  they  wanted  long  ergo.  He  arsks  as  how 
yer  looked,  an'  ef  yer  mam  war  still  well.  Caus  I 
cudn't  tell  him  a  heap,  'cause  I  didn't  know;  but  I 
sez  ter  him  thet  yer  hed  kim  hyar  ter  f  otch  'im  home, 
an'  it'd  be  a  shame  ef  yer  hed  ter  go  back  erlone,  jest 
'cause  he  wanted  ter  be  ugly.  So  he  says  as  how  he'd 
be'n  athinkin',  an'  mout  change  his  mind  'bout  thet 
thar  promise." 

"Oh!  to  think  of  it,  Thad,"  Bob  breathed,  grip- 
ping the  arm  of  his  staunch  chum  eagerly ;  "  my 
father  is  alive  after  all  these  terrible  months;  and 
perhaps  he'll  even  go  home  with  me.  It's  worth  all 
I've  suffered  ten  times,  yes  a  thousand  times  over." 

"  You  deserve  all  the  happiness  there  can  be  going. 
Bob,  sure  you  do,"  declared  the  scoutmaster,  posi- 
tively. "  I  guess  nothing  could  be  too  good  for  you. 
But  we  don't  just  understand  yet  how  this  is  going 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  221 

to  be  brought  about.     Will  Phin  Dady  let  him  go 
free  if  he  makes  that  promise,  Polly  ? '' 

"  Shore,  he^s  jest  got  ter,  now,"  the  girl  answered, 
with  a  little  chuckle.  "  Yer  see,  like  I  sez  afore, 
things,  have  changed  a  heap  now,  an'  my  dad,  he 
hain't  a  feelin'  thet  sore  agin  ther  marshal  like  he 
used  ter.  An'  Bob  Quail,  even  ef  he  warn't  gwine 
ter  do  hit,  arter  wat  I  larned  this  same  night,  I  tells 
yer  I'd  set  yer  dad  free  on  my  own  'count." 

"  What  did  you  learn  ?  "  asked  Thad,  curiously, 
seeing  that  apparently  the  girl  could  not  of  her  own 
free  will  tell  a  story,  but  it  had  to  be  drawn  from 
her  piece  meal,  through  the  means  of  questions. 

I  war  acomin'  down  ther  mounting,"  she  began, 
an'  'bout  harf  way  hyah  I  seen  thet  ther  lights  war 
a  movin'  down  in  ther  valley.  So  I  jest  natchally 
stopped  ter  read  what  ther  news  was,  'spectin'  thet 
it  meant  trouble  fur  you-uns.  But  the  more  I  reads 
ther  more  I  gits  wise  ter  ther  fack  thet  yer  be'n  an' 
done  hit  sum  moah." 

"  Yes,"  said  Thad,  encouragingly,  though  already 
he  understood  what  was  coming. 

"  'Pears  like  'tain't  enuff  fur  yer  ter  skeer  off  thet 
cat,  an'  keep  me  from  agittin'  my  face  clawed  hand- 
some, but  yer  must  go  an'  save  ther  life  o'  my  uncle 
Cliff.  I  reads  thet  he  was  hurt  bad  by  Nate's  gun 
goin'  off,  an'  bleedin'  a  heap,  so's  they  feels  sure  he 
never  kin  be  took  'crost  ter  the  doc's  alive.    Then 


ti 


222  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

they  jest  happen  on  yer  camp  down  thar;  an'  shore 
he  gut  his  arm  fixed  up  so's  ter  stop  ther  blood 
comin';  an'  they  fotched  him  acrost  ther  valley  in 
good  shape." 

"  It  was  only  a  little  thing,  Polly,  and  gave  me  a 
great  deal  of  pleasure,"  said  Thad,  thrilled  despite 
himself  by  the  girl's  simple  recital  of  the  event. 

"  P'raps  'twar,"  she  replied,  sturdily ;  "  but  my 
maw,  she  sots  some  store  by  Uncle  Cliff;  an'  dad, 
he  cain't  nowise  go  agin  wot  she  wants.  So  I  sees 
right  plain  like  it  was  writ,  thet  Bob,  he's  bound 
arter  this,  ter  git  his  dad  free." 

"  Oh !  it's  like  a  dream  to  me,  Thad ;  I  feel  as  if 
I  must  be  asleep.  Give  me  a  pinch  or  something, 
won't  you,  and  let  me  understand  that  I'm  alive," 
Bob  exclaimed. 

"  You're  awake,  all  right,  old  fellow,"  replied 
Thad,  with  a  nervous  little  laugh.  "  And  unless  I 
miss  my  guess,  Polly  here  is  going  to  give  you  an- 
other pleasant  little  surprise ;  ain't  you,  Polly  ?  " 

"  Wen  I  larns  thet  'bout  my  uncle,"  continued 
the  mountain  girl,  "I  jest  thinks  as  how  Bob  hyah, 
he's  be'n  a  wantin'  ter  larn  somethin*  'bout  his  ole 
man  ther  longest  time  ever.  An'  so  I  makes  up  my 
min'  ter  fotch  'im  right  away  up  ter  ther  Still  in 
ther  cave,  so's  ter  see  how  the  man  as  is  chained'd 
feel  ter  git  his  boy  in  his  arms  onct  agin!  "  • 

"  Oh !   Polly,   however   can   I   thank  you  ?  "   ex- 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  223 

claimed  the  excited  Bob;  "please  let's  start  then 
right  away.  I  thought  I  was  tired,  but  now  I'm  feel- 
in'  as  fresh  as  ever  I  could  be.  You  couldn't  go  too 
quick  to  suit  me ! " 


224  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 


THE    "  STILL "    IN    THE    MOUNTAIN    CAVE. 


"  Hit's  sum  climb,"  said  Polly,  doubtfully. 

"  But  think  what  is  at  the  end  of  it,"  answered 
the  eager  Bob.  "  Why,  to  see  my  father  again,  I'd 
go  all  night,  and  then  some.  Please  don't  say  you 
won't,  Polly,  after  giving  me  your  promise." 

"  I'm  g\vine  tuh  leave  hit  tuh  him,"  said  the  girl 
simply,  and  both  of  them  understood  that  she  meant 
Thad;  for  doubtless  Polly  had  guessed  before  now 
that  he  was  the  leader  of  the  boys  in  uniform,  and 
that  what  he  said  was  authority. 

Thad  knew  there  was  no  such  thing  as  trying  to 
restrain  his  chum,  now  that  the  fever  was  in  his 
veins ;  nor  did  he  have  any  desire  to  do  so. 

"  He'll  make  it,  all  right,  I  think,  Polly,"  he  re- 
marked, quietly. 

"  Sure  I  will ;  so  let's  start,"  declared  the  other. 

Polly,  of  course,  was  ^^illing.  She  did  not  seem  to 
give  one  thought  to  herself;  and  yet  Thad  remem- 
bered how  swollen  her  ankle  had  seemed,  after  such 
a  bad  twisting  in  the  cleft  of  the  rock  that  same* 


IN  THE  BLUE  EIDGE  225 

afternoon,  when  the  angry  wildcat  threatened  to 
jump  at  her.  But  then  Polly  had  been  reared  among 
the  mountains  that  seem  to  meet  the  sky;  and  she 
was  a  girl  accustomed  to  standing  all  manner  of 
pain  as  well  as  any  grown  man  could  have  done. 

They  started  to  climb  upward. 

One  thing  favored  them,  for  which  Thad  was 
really  glad.  Polly  knew  every  foot  of  the  rough 
country  like  a  scholar  might  the  printed  pages  of  a 
book.  She  could  lead  them  along  trails  that  they 
never  would  have  suspected  existed  at  all,  hidden 
as  they  were  from  the  eye  of  a  stranger,  by  the  art- 
ful moonshiners.  And  while  possibly  the  climbing 
might  be  difficult,  it  was  never  as  bad  as  the  boys 
had  found  it  when  ascending  the  mountain  in  the 
day  time. 

Bob  for  a  wonder  kept  quiet.  Of  course  he 
needed  all  his  wind  to  carry  him  through.  Then 
again,  he  was  naturally  turning  over  in  his  mind 
the  amazing  thing  that  had  just  come  to  him,  and 
trying  to  realize  his  wonderful  good  fortune. 

The  thought  that  he  was  about  to  see  his  dear 
father  shortly  was  enough  to  fill  his  mind,  to  the  ex- 
clusion of  all  else.  And  so  he  continued  to  follow 
close  after  the  nimble  girl,  while  Thad  brought  up 
the  rear. 

They  paused  to  rest  several  times.  No  doubt  it 
was  more  on  account  of  these  two  boys,  quite  un- 
accustomed to  such  harsh  labor  as  climbing  a  moun* 


226  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

tain,  that  compelled  Polly  to  pause;  because  other- 
wise, she  could  have  kept  straight  on,  without  any 
rest. 

"  We's  gittin'  thar  now,  she  remarked,  finally,  as 
they  halted  for  the  fourth  time,  with  Bob  fairly 
panting  for  breath,  and  Thad  himself  secretly  con- 
fessing that  this  mountain  climbing  after  a  sure- 
footed girl  who  had  shown  herself  as  nimble  as  a 
goat,  was  no  "  cinch." 

"  I'm  glad  to  hear  that  news,  Polly,''  Bob  admit- 
ted candidly ;  but  then  it  may  have  been  on  account 
of  the  fact  that  he  was  nearer  the  meeting  with  his 
long-lost  father,  rather  than  an  admission  that  he 
was  tired. 

"  Jest  wun  moah  stop,  an'  shore  we'll  be  thar ; 
p'raps  we  cud  make  her  right  smart  from  hyah,  ef 
so  be  yuh  felt  fresh  enuff,"  Polly  explained. 

"  Let's  try,  anyhow,"  declared  Bob ;  "  you  don't 
know  how  much  I  can  stand.  Why,  I  used  to  climb 
these  same  mountains  as  well  as  you  ever  could ;  and 
it'd  be  queer  if  I'd  forgot  all  I  ever  knew." 

"  Thet  sounds  jest  like  a  Quail,"  remarked  the 
girl,  with  a  chuckle,  as  she  once  more  took  up  the 
work. 

The  last  part  of  the  climb  was  certainly  the  rough- 
est of  all.  Old  Phin  had  hidden  his  secret  Still  in  a 
quarter  of  the  rocky  uplift  where  no  revenue  man 
thus  far  had  ever  been  able  to  look  upon  it  of  his 
own  free  will. 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  227 

But  finally  they  heard  Polly  say  that  it  was  close 
by.  Thad  also  noticed  that  the  girl  had  changed 
her  manner  more  or  less.  She  climbed  now  without 
making  the  slightest  noise;  just  as  though  some  in- 
stinct, bom  of  her  life  in  the  zone  where  warfare 
always  existed  between  her  people  and  the  Govern- 
ment agents,  had  caused  her  to  exercise  caution. 

Thad  saw  that  they  were  approaching  what  must 
be  a  rocky  gully,  leading  to  some  sort  of  cave.  He 
remembered  that  Polly  had,  while  speaking,  hap- 
pened to  mention  the  fact  that  her  father's  famous 
Still  was  located  in  a  cave,  which  could  never  be 
found  by  the  smartest  agent  the  authorities  had 
ever  sent  to  look  for  such  illegal  distilleries. 

"  Look  out  yer  don't  slip !  "  came  in  a  low  but 
thrilling  whisper  from  the  guide  at  this  juncture; 
and  from  this  Thad  assumed  that  they  must  be  pass- 
ing along  the  edge  of  some  dizzy  precipice,  that  had 
to  do  with  the  safety  of  the  manufactory,  the  exist- 
ence of  which  had  so  long  taunted  the  Government. 

Now  and  then  Polly  would  give  a  slight  pause. 
At  such  times  Thad  believed  she  must  be  looking 
cautiously  around,  to  make  sure  that  the  guard  had 
not  returned  to  the  jplace  since  she  left  there  some 
time  before. 

Then  he  realized  that  he  could  no  longer  see  the 
stars  overhead.  From  this  he  judged  they  must 
have  passed  underground;  and  that  this  was  a  fact 


228  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

he  presently  learned  when,  by  stretching  out  his 
hand,  he  felt  the  cold  rock  close  by. 

All  around  them  was  pitch  darkness  at  first,  and 
the  girl  had  made  Bob  take  hold  of  her  dress,  while 
Thad  in  the  rear  kept  a  hand  on  his  chum's  back  as 
they  moved  slowly  along. 

Presently  the  watchful  scoutmaster  made  a  little 
discovery  that  afforded  him  pleasure.  There  must 
be  a  light  ahead  somewhere,  for  he  began  to  catch 
a  faint  glow,  such  as  might  come  from  a  lantern. 

This  illumination  grew  gradually  stronger,  until 
they  could  actually  manage  to  see  dimly  around 
them. 

"  Wait  hyah  foh  me,  till  I  see  ef  ther  coast  is 
clar,"  whispered  the  girl. 

The  two  scouts  saw  her  slip  away.  It  struck  Thad 
that  possibly  he  and  his  chums  had  much  to  learn 
ere  they  could  pass  along  as  noiselessly  as  this  moun- 
tain girl. 

How  the  seconds  dragged.  Each  one  must  have 
seemed  torture  to  poor  anxious  Bob,  knowing  as  he 
did  that  the  one  he  had  long  mourned  as  dead  was 
so  near  at  hand.  They  heard  nothing  save  a  drip- 
ping sound,  which  might  have  been  caused  by  water. 
Evidently  the  secret  Still  was  not  in  operation  just 
then;  and  words  dropped  by  Polly  gave  Thad  the 
impression  that  possibly  it  had  ceased  work  for  all 
time,  because  of  some  reason  that  brought  about  a 
change  in  the  conditions. 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  229 

Polly  could  not  have  been  gone  more  than  five 
minutes  before  she  came  gliding  back  again  to 
where  she  had  left  the  boys. 

"  Hit's  all  right,  an'  thar  don't  'pear  ter  be  any 
guard  'round." 

She  plucked  at  Bob's  coat  sleeve,  as  if  to  let  him 
understand  that  he  could  come  on  now;  as  if  the 
boy  needed  a  second  invitation. 

They  turned  a  bend  in  the  narrow  passage  ahead, 
and  Thad  drew  a  long  breath  as  he  looked  upon  one 
of  the  most  remarkable  scenes  it  had  ever  been  his 
fortune  to  see. 

The  cave  was  a  natural  grotto,  rock-ribbed,  and 
as  firm  as  the  everlasting  foundations  of  the  moun- 
tains themselves.  The  moonshiners  had  fitted  it  up 
for  their  purpose ;  and  there,  for  the  first  time  Thad 
saw  what  a  Still  looked  like.  After  all,  it  did  not 
amount  to  much,  the  worm  being  the  most  inter- 
esting part  of  it.  But  then  the  fact  that  he  was  now 
gazing  upon  the  very  Still  that  revenue  men  had  for 
years  tried  in  vain  to  discover  and  wreck,  gave  the 
scoutmaster  a  sensation  akin  to  awe. 

But  all  this  he  saw  with  one  sweeping  glance. 
There  was  more.  A  clanking  as  of  a  chain  drew  his 
attention  to  a  figure  that  had  arisen  from  a  bench, 
and  was  pushing  the  long  hair  from  his  eyes  to 
watch  their  entrance.  Evidently  Polly  during  her 
short  absence  must  have  whispered  to  the  prisoner 
that  Bob  was  close  bv. 


230  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

There  was,  of  course,  no  such  thing  as  holding 
Bob  back  any  longer.  He  saw  that  ragged  and  alto- 
gether uncouth  figure,  which  of  course  bore  not  the 
least  resemblance  to  the  father  he  remembered  so 
well ;  but  he  also  had  discovered  a  pair  of  extended 
arms,  and  toward  their  shelter  the  boy  fairly  leaped. 

Another  instant  and  Bob  Quail  was  wrapped  in 
the  embrace  of  the  parent  he  had  not  seen  in  more 
than  two  years,  and  whose  fate  it  had  been  to  re- 
main here  a  prisoner  among  the  moonshiners  who 
hated  him  so  thoroughly,  while  his  dear  ones 
mourned  him  as  dead. 

After  a  few  minutes  Thad  moved  closer,  and 
gave  a  little  cough,  wishing  to  let  his  chum  know 
that  he  had  a  comrade  tried  and  true  near  by. 
With  that  Bob  started  up,  and  gripped  him  by  the 
arm. 

"  This  is  my  best  friend,  Thad  Brewster,  father," 
he  said. 

Thad  shook  hands  with  the  emaciated  man  who 
had  been  confined  in  this  underground  retreat  so 
long.  In  spite  of  the  long  beard  and  strange  looks 
of  the  other,  he  realized  that  Mr.  Quail  was  no 
ordinary  man.  But  then  Thad  had  guessed  that  al- 
ready, from  what  he  had  heard  about  the  one-time 
marshal. 

"This  is  a  mighty  big  piece  of  luck  for  Bob?" 
Thad  remarked.     "  It  seems  nearly  too  good  to  be 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  231 

true ;  and  he'll  be  the  happiest  boy  in  the  States  when 
he  takes  you  back  home  with  him,  sir.'' 

"Home!"  repeated  the  prisoner;  "how  strange 
that  word  sounds,  after  being  shut  up  here  so  long. 
And  how  queer  the  outside  world  will  seem  to  me. 
But  I  hope  the  promise  Old  Phin  Dady  made  me, 
still  holds  good ;  for  I've  no  longer  the  desire  to  hold 
out  against  his  will.  In  my  own  mind  I'm  no 
longer  on  the  pay-roll  of  the  Government,  for  he 
tells  me  every  one  believes  me  dead;  so  I  can  take 
the  vow  with  a  clear  conscience.  Yes,  I'm  hoping 
to  go  home  with  my  boy." 

Thad  felt  that  all  now  remaining  for  them  to  do 
was  to  get  in  communication  with  the  moonshiner, 
and  have  Mr.  Quail  set  at  liberty.  Surely  after 
what  he  and  Bob  had  done  for  the  family  of  Phin 
Dady,  the  latter  could  not  refuse  to  let  his  prisoner 
go;  especially  since  he  now  professed  his  willing- 
ness to  make  the  promise  that  up  to  this  time  he  had 
absolutely  declined  to  subscribe  to. 

They  were  still  talking  in  this  strain  when  a  sound 
like  a  cough  drew  their  attention,  and  looking  up, 
Thad  discovered  a  grim  figure  leaning  on  his  gun 
not  twenty  feet  away.  There  was  no  need  to  ask 
who  the  man  was,  for  every  one  of  them  had  already 
recognized  the  moonshiner,  Phin  Dady ! 


232  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

BUMPUS    CALLS    FOR   THREE    CHEERS. 

The  mountaineer  was  the  first  to  speak. 

"  Tears  like  I  was  interruptin'  a  leetle  fambly 
reunion,"  he  remarked,  drily. 

At  any  rate,  Thad  noticed,  there  did  not  seem  to 
be  any  great  show  of  anger  in  the  actions  or  words 
of  the  man.  Nor  was  he  leveling  that  terrible  gun, 
which  had  doubtless  brought  consternation  into  the 
hearts  of  more  than  one  invading  group  of  revenue 
officers  in  times  past. 

Indeed,  Thad  was  rather  inclined  to  think  Old 
Phin  looked  remarkably  docile,  as  though  his  claws 
had  been  pulled,  and  he  no  longer  felt  that  the  whole 
world  was  against  him. 

]\Ir.  Quail,  however,  did  not  see  things  in  this 
way.  He  was  not  aware  of  the  great  change  that 
had  come  about  in  the  Dady  family,  that  threatened 
to  remove  from  the  Blue  Ridge  the  most  remark- 
able and  picturesque  figure  the  region  had  ever 
known. 

"  I'm  ready  to  make  that  promise  you  once  put 


(I 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  233 

before  me,  Phin!  "  he  cried  out,  as  if  secretly  fear- 
ing that  harm  might  fall  upon  the  head  of  his  ven- 
turesome boy,  because  of  his  braving  the  moon- 
shiner's wrath  by  searching  out  the  secret  Still. 

"  Hit's  too  late  fur  thet,  Mistah  Quail!  "  declared 
the  other  grimly. 

"  But  surely  you  wouldn't  think  of  changing  your 
mind  now  ?  "  said  the  prisoner. 

Thet's  jest  what  I  done,  suh,"  answered  Phin. 
Polly,  I'se  noticin'  as  how  yuh  brung  them  byes 
up  hyah  tuh  the  old  Still.  Reckons  as  how  yuh 
never'd  dared  do  thet  same  on'y  foh  what's  cum  ter 
pass." 

"  Reckons  as  how  I  wudn't,  dad,"  replied  the  girl; 
who,  somehow,  did  not  seem  to  display  any  particu- 
lar fear  of  the  stern  parent,  such  as  might  have  been 
expected  under  the  circumstances. 

"  Are  you  going  to  let  me  go  free,  Phin  Dady  ?  " 
demanded  the  prisoner,  hoarsely. 

For  answer  the  moonshiner  stepped  forward,  and 
w^ith  a  key  he  produced,  released  the  iron  that  had 
been  fastened  about  the  ankle  of  the  one-time  rev- 
enue marshal. 

"  I  give  you  the  promise  you  wanted,  Phin,  and 
never  will  I  tell  a  living  soul  where  the  hiding-place 
of  your  Still  lies,"  Mr.  Quail  declared,  trying  to 
conceal  his  emotion  as  a  brave  man  might. 

'-  Thet's   good  o'  ye,   Mistah  Quail,"   remarked 


234  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

the  other,  with  one  of  his  dry  chuckles  that  some- 
how Thad  liked  to  hear. 

"  And  more  than  that,  Phin,**  continued  the  other, 
earnestly,  "  I  agree  never  again  to  enter  these  moun- 
tains in  search  of  the  men  who  live  here,  and  who 
believe  they  have  a  right  to  make  this  moonshine 
stuff  as  they  please,  whether  the  authorities  down  in 
Washington  let  them  or  not.  Fve  resigned  as  a 
marshal,  Phin.  You  and  your  friends  will  never 
have  to  think  of  me  again  as  an  enemy.  And  I  sup- 
pose then  that  the  curious  public  will  never  get  the 
sight  of  this  famous  Still  of  yours,  that  I  boasted 
they  would." 

"  Thet's  whar  yuh  makes  a  mistake,  suh,''  said  the 
old  man,  with  a  wide  grin.  "  I  reckons  now  as  it's 
a  gwine  to  be  ther  trade  mark  ter  be  used  on  ther 
bottles.  I  be'n  tole  thet  it  ort  ter  help  make  sales, 
w'en  they  knows  the  new  medicine,  made  outen  roots 
an'  yarbs  got  in  ther  mountings,  an'  wich  cures  all 
kinds  o'  shakes  an'  chills  like  magic,  is  manufactured 
in  ther  same  old  Still  as  Phin  Dady  cooked  moon- 
shine stuff  foh  nigh  on  ten  hull  yeahs." 

"What's  that?"  exclaimed  the  late  prisoner, 
while  Polly  laughed  softl}^,  like  one  who  sees  a  new 
life  opening  up  before  her. 

Thad  began  to  see  glimpses  of  light.  He  re- 
membered the  strange  words  used  by  the  girl  from 
time  to  time.    Yes,  there  had  a  change  taken  place ; 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  235 

things  were  never  going  to  be  the  same  as  they  had 
been  in  the  past.  Accident  had  opened  the  eyes  of 
the  old  mountaineer,  and  he  had  discovered  a  way  to 
make  money,  with  the  Government  for,  not  against 
him. 

"  W'y,  yuh  see,"  he  began,  rather  clumsily ;  when 
Polly  took  the  words  from  his  mouth,  being  so  full 
of  the  subject  that  she  just  could  not  hold  in. 

"  He  used  ter  make  up  a  kind  o'  medicine  whenever 
we  gut  ther  shakes,  an'  it  did  the  bizness  the  slickest 
yuh  ever  did  see,  suh,"  she  started  to  say.  "  Thar 
was  a  man  as  kim  erlong  heah,  an'  heerd  'bout  hit. 
So  he  sez  as  how  he'd  like  ter  take  a  bottle  erlong, 
and  hev  it  tested.  W'ich  they  done,  an'  writ  as  how 
it  was  sich  a  wonder  thet  p'raps  dad,  he  cud  supply 
ther  trade.  An'  on'y  yist'day  he  done  gits  a  letter, 
suh,  as  binds  ther  bargain.  Old  Phin,  he  ain't 
agwine  tuh  make  moonshine  no  moah.  We's  amean- 
in'  tuh  go  tuh  town,  jest  as  soon's  we  heahs  from 
ther  people  in  Washington,  as  these  drug  men  hes 
gone  ter  see.  Yuh  know  hit  wudn't  be  nice  if  they 
sot  on  my  dad  as  soon  as  he  showed  up,  an'  locked 
him  in  prison,  'case  as  how  he  use  ter  make  mounting 
dew  on  ther  sly." 

Crudely  expressed  as  it  was,  Thad  understood  the 
whole  story  now.  It  fairly  took  his  breath  away,  it 
was  so  strange.  To  think  of  this  gaunt  old  moun- 
taineer having  discovered  a  medicine  that  was  going 
to  prove  as  great  a  benefit  to  mankind  as  the  stuff 


236  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

he  had  been  hitherto  manufacturing  was  a  curse! 
It  was  almost  too  wonderful  for  belief. 

"  Do  you  mean  that  the  gentlemen  who  mean  to 
handle  the  product  of  your  Still  in  the  future  are 
trying  to  get  the  authorities  to  wipe  all  the  past  off 
the  slate,  and  let  your  father  start  fresh?"  asked 
Mr.  Quail. 

"  Thems  erbout  hit,  suh,"  Polly  replied,  nodding 
her  head.  "  Hand  we-uns  'spect  ter  live  in  town 
arter  this,  whar  p'raps  I  kin  wear  a  hat,  an'  hev  sum 
shoes  as  hain't  big  ernuff  fur  a  man,  an'  git  some 
larnin'  in  school.     Soon's  as  we  knows,  we  reckons 


on  movin'." 


And  Phin  Dady,  perhaps  I  might  be  of  assist- 
ance to  you  down  at  Washington,  once  I  get  to  a 
barber,  and  look  something  respectable,"  said  the 
late  prisoner. 

"  D'ye  mean  thet  ye  don't  hold  no  grudge  agin 
me  f oh  what  I  done  tuh  ye  ?  "  demanded  the  old 
moonshiner,  evidently  surprised. 

"  That's  just  what  I  mean,"  replied  the  other, 
heartily.  "  Outside  of  keeping  me  a  prisoner,  and 
even  that  was  partly  my  fault,  you've  not  been 
harder  on  me  than  one  might  expect.  And  I'm  so 
happy  now,  with  this  noble  lad  by  my  side,  and  the 
knowkdge  that  my  wife  still  lives,  that  I  couldn't 
bear  you  any  ill  feeling.  I  hope  you'll  be  a  big  suc- 
cess in  your  new  business;  and  here's  my  hand,  if 
you  care  to  take  it." 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  237 

"  Hurrah !  "  cried  Bob,  feeling  like  throwing  up 
his  hat  when  he  saw  the  two  men,  enemies  for  so 
long,  shaking  hands  in  a  friendly  way. 

Thad  himself  had  never  felt  so  light-hearted. 
It  seemed  as  though  all  of  their  troubles  had  sud- 
denly taken  flight,  and  the  future  looked  bright  in- 
deed. This  hike  through  the  Blue  Ridge  had  turned 
out  ten  times  more  wonderful  than  any  of  them 
had  ever  dreamed,  when  the  undertaking  was  first 
discussed,  away  up  in  Cranford.  It  had  given  Bob 
back  a  father  whom  he  had  believed  was  dead ;  and 
presently  Bertha,  too,  would  be  taken  from  the 
guardian  who  had  no  real  legal  right  to  her  charge. 

The  Boy  Scouts  would  be  able  to  go  back  to  their 
home  town  with  a  feather  in  their  hats,  after  accom- 
plishing so  many  wonderful  things. 

But  how  were  they  going  to  get  down  to  the  far- 
away camp  ?  Would  Mr.  Quail,  who  must  be  weak 
on  account  of  having  been  kept  in  the  cavern  so 
long,  be  able  to  stand  the  rough  trip?  Perhaps, 
after  all,  they  had  better  stay  there  during  the  bal- 
ance of  the  night,  and  wait  for  daylight  to  come. 

Thad  was  perfectly  willing  to  leave  all  this  to  the 
gentleman  himself;  and  presently  he  became  aware 
that  they  were  even  then  discussing  it. 

His  long  and  bitter  association  with  those  cold 
walls,  and  that  Still,  must  have  given  Mr.  Quail  a 
dislike  for  the  sight  of  them;  because  he  expressed 


238  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

himself  as  only  too  willing  to  start  down  without 
delay. 

"  If  s  true  that  I'm  not  as  strong  as  I  might  be 
right  now,"  he  admitted ;  "  but  that  weakness  ought 
to  pass  away  as  I  get  the  fresh  air.  Besides,  having 
my  boy  at  my  side  will  work  wonders.  Yes,  please 
do  not  let  my  condition  keep  us  here  one  minute 
longer  than  is  absolutely  necessary.'* 

And  so  they  all  started  down.  Since  there  was  no 
longer  any  need  for  secrecy,  Polly  carried  the  lan- 
tern along. 

After  all,  it  was  not  such  very  hard  work.  With 
a  light  to  show  them  what  they  had  to  avoid,  and 
a  pilot  who  knew  every  foot  of  the  mountainside, 
they  made  very  fair  progress  indeed.  Even  Mr. 
Quail  declared  he  was  getting  stronger  all  the  time, 
as  he  drew  in  big  quantities  of  the  sweet  mountain 
air,  so  different  from  that  he  had  been  enduring  so 
long,  tainted  with  the  fumes  of  the  Still. 

Once  Polly  haulted,  and  drew  their  attention  to 
a  light  far  down. 

"  Thet's  yer  fire,"  was  what  she  said,  simply ;  and 
both  Bob  and  Thad  allowed  their  gaze  to  fall  upon 
the  flicker  with  a  sense  of  deep  satisfaction;  for 
they  knew  that  they  were  about  to  prove  to  be  mes- 
sengers of  good  tidings  to  those  tried  and  true  com- 
rades so  anxiously  awaiting  their  return. 

Thad  forgot  that  his  feet  burned,  and  that  his 
muscles  cried  out  in  protest  against  such  unusual 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  239 

exertion;  the  thing  that  had  happened  was  of  so 
wonderful  a  nature  that  every  time  he  thought  about 
it  he  told  himself  he  ought  to  consider  himself  equal 
to  the  task  of  walking  up  and  down  hill  all  the  re- 
mainder of  the  night,  without  a  single  groan  or 
falter. 

Now  they  were  evidently  drawing  nearer  the 
lower  part  of  the  mountain.  Glimpses  they  caught 
of  the  camp-fire  told  them  this  good  news.  Besides, 
Thad  really  began  to  recognize  his  surroundings. 

And  he  was  not  so  very  much  surprised  when 
Polly  suddenly  stopped  and  pointing  to  the  rock  at 
her  feet,  remarked : 

"  Hit  war  right  thar,  dad,  as  I  got  cort  by  ther 
foot;  an'  on  thet  ledge  yonder  ther  cat  squatted, 
agrowlin'  and  spittin'  like  the  Ole  Nick,  and  meanin' 
tuh  jump  right  on  me.  See,  hyars  a  stick  thet 
helped  tuh  beat  him  off.  An'  as  yuh  knows,  'twar 
this  same  boy,  Thad  they  calls  'im,  as  dim  fixed 
Uncle  Cliff  up,  so's  Nate  an'  Tom,  they  cud  fotch 
him  acrost  tuh  ther  doc.  Reckon  we  ort  tuh  do  all 
we  kin  ter  show  'em  ther  Dady  fambly  hes  gut 
feelins." 

"  Shore  we  ort,  gal,  an'  we's  agwine  tuh  do  thet 
same,"  declared  Old  Phin. 

"We  don't  doubt  it,"  said  Thad,  more  or  less 
affected  by  these  evidences  of  gratitude  on  the  part 
of  the  mountaineer  and  his  daughter.    "  What  I  did 


240  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

was  only  a  little  thing  you  know,  that  could  hardly 

count.'' 

"  But  hit  saved  Cliff's  life,  an'  thet  meant  sumthin' 
foh  him,"  the  girl  continued,  with  a  shake  of  her 
tousled  head.  "  Come  erlong,  an'  let's  git  down 
thar.  Reckons  as  how  a  cup  o'  coffee'd  taste  right 
good  tuh  yuh  dad." 

"  Coffee !  "  echoed  Mr.  Quail,  as  though  the  very 
sound  of  the  word  touched  his  inmost  feelings ;  "  it'll 
seem  like  nectar  for  the  gods  just  to  smell  it  again, 
after — but  no  matter,  it  was  the  best  they  had,  and 
I  oughtn't  to  say  anything." 

All  the  same  Thad  noticed  that  his  steps  quick- 
ened a  little,  and  he  seemed  to  sniff  the  air  from  time 
to  time,  as  if  in  imagination  he  could  already  catch 
a  faint  whiff  of  the  treat  in  store  for  him. 

As  they  drew  closer  to  the  camp  Thad  could  see 
that  some  of  the  boys  were  sitting  there.  Perhaps 
they  had  been  too  anxious  to  even  try  and  sleep; 
though  he  believed  he  knew  of  one  at  least  who  could 
never  have  held  out  all  this  while,  no  matter  how 
strong  his  determination. 

Waiting  until  they  had  arrived  within  a  certain 
distance,  and  there  was  no  evidence  that  any  one  had 
noticed  the  descending  lantern,  Thad  gave  vent  to 
a  call.  It  was  the  bark  of  the  fox,  and  used  by  the 
members  of  the  patrol  as  a  signal  in  case  they  wished 
to  communicate  with  one  another. 

He  saw  the  figures  about  the  fire  quicken  into  life 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  241 

They  seemed  to  jump  to  their  feet,  and  stare  about 
them,  as  if  unable  to  understand  what  that  call 
meant. 

A  little  to  the  surprise  of  Thad  his  signal  was  re- 
peated from  a  point  close  by,  and  immediately  Allan 
Hollister  showed  up.  Undoubtedly  the  Maine  boy 
had  been  scouting  around  the  borders  of  the  camp, 
seeking  to  guard  against  any  surprise.  He  had 
watched  the  coming  of  the  group  with  the  lantern, 
and  guessed  that  two  of  them  must  be  the  missing 
comrades,  Thad  and  Bob. 

When  they  all  stalked  into  camp,  the  boys  were 
thunderstruck  to  see  Old  Phin  and  his  daughter,  ap- 
parently on  the  best  of  terms  with  their  comrades; 
and  as  for  the  tall  man  with  the  long  hair  and  beard, 
they  could  easily  guess  who  he  must  be  by  the  way 
Bob  Quail  clung  to  his  hand. 

Then  Bumpus  called  for  three  cheers,  and  they 
were  given  with  a  vim  that  made  the  valley  echo 
from  side  to  side.  Possibly  some  of  those  moon- 
shiner videttes  must  have  started  up,  wondering 
what  on  earth  could  be  occurring  in  the  camp  of  the 
Boy  Scouts. 

There  was  little  chance  that  any  of  the  boys  would 
get  a  wink  of  sleep  during  the  remainder  of  that 
eventful  night.  Long  did  they  sit  there  by  the  re- 
vived fire,  watching  Mr.  Quail  drink  his  coffee,  cup 
after  cup,  and  listening  to  the  strangest  story  they 
had  ever  heard.     Even  when  finally,  along  about 


242  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

three  in  the  morning,  they  were  induced  to  lie  down 
upon  their  various  beds  of  leaves  and  grass,  sleep 
must  have  utterly  refused  to  visit  their  eyes,  save 
in  the  case  of  Bumpus  himself;  and  he  could  drop 
into  slumber  in  almost  "  any  old  position,  even  if  he 
were  hanging  by  his  heels,"  as  Giraffe  used  to  say. 

And  so  the  night  passed  away,  and  another  morn- 
ing found  them,  red-eyed  but  joyful  beyond  com- 
pare; for  they  felt  that  their  great  hike  among  the 
mountains  had  turned  out  to  be  the  finest  thing  pos- 
sible, both  for  their  comrade.  Bob,  and  themselves. 


JN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  243 


CHAPTER  XXVni. 

HOME  AGAIN CONCLUSION. 

The  mountain  hike  had  come  to  an  end. 

One  and  all,  the  Boy  Scouts  declared  that  they 
had  seen  about  enough  of  this  wild  country  of  the 
Blue  Ridge,  and  would  be  glad  to  turn  their  steps 
toward  dear  old  Cranford.  They  believed  they 
could  find  other  ways  to  enjoy  themselves  that 
offered  better  inducements  than  climbing  the  sides 
of  mountains,  with  suspicious  moonshiners  watch- 
ing their  every  move. 

Of  course,  now  that  Old  Phin  Dady  had  taken 
them  under  his  protection,  they  had  no  reason  to 
fear  any  bodily  harm.  And  what  Thad  had  done  for 
Cliff  Doric  must  go  pretty  far  toward  making  them 
friends  among  the  ignorant  mountain  people.  But 
because  Old  Phin  meant  to  desert  his  former  calling 
for  one  that  would  have  the  sanction  of  the  law,  did 
not  mean  that  moonshine  stuff  would  not  continue 
to  be  made  up  in  the  dells  back  of  the  trail  in  the 
Smoky  Range.  There  were  many  others  who  knew 
no  other  means  for  making  a  slim  livelihood,  than 


2U  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

by  cheating  the  Government  of  the  heavy  tax  it 
placed  on  strong  drink. 

So  the  scouts  decided,  by  a  unanimous  vote,  that 
they  had  seen  enough  of  these  parts;  and  would  hail 
with  delight  an  order  to  turn  their  backs  on  it  all. 
Besides,  did  they  not  know  that  both  Bob  and  his 
father  would  be  fairly  wild  to  hasten  to  the  waiting 
mother  and  wife  in  that  Northern  home? 

They  made  the  start  as  soon  as  they  could  get  in 
marching  order.  Polly  and  her  father  accompanied 
them  through  the  mountains.  This  was  considered: 
best,  lest  some  suspicious  moonshiner  think  it  his 
duty  to  take  a  pot  shot  or  two  at  those  figures  far 
down  the  valley,  wearing  the  khaki  uniform  he 
hated. 

At  every  cabin  they  passed,  the  natives  swarmed 
out  to  see  the  strange  sight  of  Old  Phin  walking 
amiably  by  the  side  of  the  boy  soldiers,  as  they  sup- 
posed the  scouts  to  be.  Once  or  twice  there  was  an 
ugly  demonstration,  some  of  the  natives  fancying 
that  the  mountaineer  must  have  surrendered,  and 
was  being  carried  off  to  jail.  It  took  considerable 
explaining  to  get  these  people  to  understand  the 
truth  about  things,  and  that  Phin  was  on  the  best  of 
terms  with  the  boys. 

Finally  he  dared  go  no  further,  because  as  yet  he 
did  not  know  what  success  his  agents,  the  drug  men, 
had  in  Washington;  and  there  was  danger  of  rev- 
enue men  sighting  him  at  any  moment,  when  trouble 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  245 

must  break  out,  since  there  had  been  war  between 
them  for  so  long. 

When  the  little  party  of  scouts  turned  up  again 
in  Asheville,  they  found  plenty  to  do  there  to  keep 
them  over  until  another  day.  First  of  all,  Mr. 
Quail  underwent  a  complete  transformation  at  the  | 
hands  of  a  barber;  for  he  declared  he  believed  the 
sight  of  him,  in  his  present  condition,  with  such 
long  hair  and  beard,  would  be  enough  to  send  his 
poor  wife  into  a  fit,  or  else  have  her  drive  him  from 
the  door  as  a  pretender. 

And  when  he  appeared  before  the  scouts,  decently 
dressed  in  a  new  suit,  which  Bob's  money  paid  for, 
as  he  had  none  himself  just  then,  Bumpus  voiced 
the  sentiments  of  the  entire  patrol  when  he  declared 
that  Mr.  Quail  was  as  fine  looking  a  gentleman  as 
he  knew. 

Of  course  a  message  had  been  sent  to  Cranford, 
to  apprise  Bob's  mother  of  the  glorious  result  of  his 
hike  down  in  the  Blue  Ridge  country,  which  they 
had  once  upon  a  time  called  home.  It  had  to  be 
very  carefully  worded,  lest  the  shock  to  her  nerves 
prove  too  great.  And  in  another  day,  father  and 
son  hoped  to  be  once  more  with  the  one  who  would 
not  sleep  a  wink  until  her  own  eyes  beheld  the  loved 
form  which  she  believed  had  gone  from  her  forever. 

Then  there  was  that  affair  concerning  little  Bertha 
to  be  considered.  Great  had  been  the  indignation 
of  Mr.  Quail  when,  on  examining  the  paper  which 


246  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

Bob  had  secured  through  the  help  of  the  girl,  he 
realized  all  the  rascality  that  Reuben  Sparks  had 
been  guilty  of. 

They  held  an  interview  with  a  well-known  lawyer, 
who,  on  hearing  the  facts,  and  seeing  the  legal  docu- 
ment, advised  them  to  leave  it  all  in  his  charge. 

"  I  promise  you  that  this  party  will  be  summoned 
to  appear  forthwith,  bringing  his  ward  with  him," 
this  legal  gentleman  had  declared ;  "  and  once  within 
the  jurisdiction  of  the  court,  it  will  be  an  easy  matter 
to  dispossess  him.  Indeed,  should  he  show  fight,  we 
can  have  him  sent  up  for  a  term  of  years." 

With  such  a  pleasant  prospect  before  them,  did  the 
scouts  leave  the  Old  Tar-heel  State.  They  had  come 
down  here  for  an  outing,  and  to  see  what  Bob  had 
once  called  his  home ;  but  the  tour  had  turned  out  to 
be  a  more  serious  affair  than  any  of  them  could  ever 
have  anticipated. 

And  now  they  were  on  the  way  home  again,  filled 
with  memories  of  the  many  events  that  had  seasoned 
their  brief  stay  in  the  Land  of  the  Sky;  home  to 
familiar  scenes  and  to  look  upon  faces  that  were 
dear  to  them. 

A  jolly  party  they  were  on  the  train  that  bore 
them  away  toward  the  North.  Bob  and  his  father 
sat  by  themselves,  for  they  had  a  thousand  things  to 
talk  about,  that  concerned  only  their  private  inter- 
ests.   But  the  rest  clustered  at  one  end  of  the  sleeper, 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  247 

and  eagerly  reviewed  the  stories  they  would  have  to 
tell. 

"  Oh !  we'll  have  the  greatest  time  ever,  just  show- 
ing the  fellers  how  we  did  it,"  declared  Bumpus. 
"  First  of  all,  we'll  get  Giraffe  to  wade  into  a  creek, 
and  explain  how  he  was  bein'  pulled  down  by  that 
sucking  quicksand,  when  the  prompt  arrival  of  the 
rest  of  the  bunch  saved  his  precious  life.  I  always 
heard  that  when  one's  just  born  to  be  hanged  there 
ain't  no  use  try  in'  to  get  rid  of  him  by  any  other 
means;  which  I  guess  stands  for  quicksand  too." 

"  That  sounds  mighty  fine,  Bumpus,"  remarked 
Giraffe,  unmoved  by  the  laughter  greeting  the  propo- 
sition; "but  just  think  what  a  great  stunt  it'll  be 
when  we  get  Davy  Jones  here  showing  'em  what  he 
c'n  do  dropping  down  head-first  into  a  bully  old 
camp-fire,  and  swimmin'  in  red  coals.  That  ought 
to  bring  down  the  house;  if  only  we  c'n  coax  him  to 
do  it  over  again." 

"Not  much  you  will,"  declared  the  said  Davy, 
looking  ruefully  at  sundry  red  marks  on  both  his 
wrists,  that  served  to  remind  him  of  the  accident. 
"  Once  is  enough  for  me ;  and  I  tell  you  right  now, 
fellows,  if  ever  I  do  climb  a  tree  again,  to  exercise, 
I'm  going  to  be  mighty  careful  I  don't  hang  down 
over  a  blaze.  There's  such  a  thing  as  takin'  too 
many  chances." 

"  A  burnt  child  dreads  the  fire,"  sang  out  Step 
Hen. 


248  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

"  Hello !  are  you  there,  old  sobersides  ?  "  remarked 
Giraffe,  pretending  to  be  surprised ;  "  now,  we  all 
of  us  thought  you  might  be  busy  writin'  out  in  your 
mind  a  treatise  on  how  to  be  happy  watching  a 
tumble-bug  try  to  roll  his  big  ball  uphill;  or  else 
what  lessons  can  be  gained  by  watching  the  humble 
beetle  in  his  never-say-die  act  as  a  gymnast.  But  I 
see  youVe  got  your  badge  right-side  up  to-day,  all 
to  the  good.  Step  Hen;  what  wonderful  stunt  have 
you  been  pulling  off  now? '' 

"  Oh !  it  didn't  amount  to  much,  I  guess,  fellows ; 
but  then  even  a  little  speck  of  kindness  counts,  they 
say,'*  remonstrated  Step  Hen. 

"  I  happen  to  know,"  remarked  Thad,  breaking 
into  the  conversation;  "  for  I  was  just  coming  into 
that  other  ordinary  car,  when  I  saw  our  comrade 
doing  himself  proud.  Perhaps  it  is  only  a  little 
thing  for  a  boy  to  notice  that  a  poor  woman  with 
three  kids  clinging  to  her  skirts,  and  a  baby  in  her 
arms,  wants  to  get  a  bottle  of  milk  warmed,  and 
don't  know  just  how  to  manage  it;  and  to  offer  to 
do  it  for  her;  but  let  me  tell  you,  that  poor  tired 
mother  said  '  thank  you,  my  boy  '  just  as  if  it  meant 
a  heap  to  her!  Yes,  Step  Hen,  you  had  a  right  to 
turn  your  badge ;  and  I  only  hope  you  find  as  good  a 
chance  to  do  it  every  single  day,  as  you  did  on  this 


one." 


And   Giraffe  became  suddenly  silent.      Perhaps 
something  within  told  him  that  he  too  had  passed 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  249 

that  same  weary  mother;  and  if  he  thought  any- 
thing at  all  at  the  time  it  was  only  to  wonder  why  a 
woman  could  be  so  silly  as  to  travel  with  so  many 
children. 

"  Well,  you  see,"  remarked  Step  Hen,  feeling  that 
some  sort  of  explanation  was  expected  from  him, 
after  the  scoutmaster  had  given  him  the  "  spot 
light "  on  the  stage.  "  I  got  to  talkin'  with  her 
afterwards,  and  she  told  me  that  the  children's  paw 
had  just  died  down  South,  and  she  was  on  her  way 
home  to  her  mother's.  After  hearin'  that,  fellers,  I 
wanted  to  do  anything  more  I  could  for  the  poor 
thing;  and  I  did  jump  off  at  the  last  station,  and 
buy  the  kids  some  sandwiches,  'cause,  you  see,  they 
didn't  have  a  great  lot  to  munch  on.  But  it  was 
worth  while  to  watch  'em  gobble  the  snack  of  chicken 
I  got  along  with  'em,  like  they  hadn't  had  a  bite  to 
eat  this  livelong  day." 

Thad  walked  away,  satisfied  that  Step  Hen  was 
proving  his  worth  as  a  scout.  That  little  lesson  of 
the  humble  bug  had  opened  his  eyes,  and  through 
those  touched  his  heart.  Perhaps  he  might  not 
change  all  at  once,  for  he  was  inclined  to  stumble, 
and  fall  down,  when  he  had  made  good  resolutions ; 
but  the  chances  were  he  would  see  more  in  life  than 
ever  before. 

And  that  is  what  a  scout  wants  to  do,  keep  his 
eyes  open  all  the  while,  in  order  to  notice  many  of 
the  strange  things  that  are  happening  every  minute 


250  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

of  the  day  all  around  him ;  until  he  learns  to  do  that 
which  will  give  him  the  greatest  treat  that  could 
possibly  happen  to  any  one. 

Time  was  when  Step  Hen  might  have  passed  that 
poor  mother,  and  never  have  given  her  a  second 
thought ;  but  it  was  different  now.  And  the  strange 
thing  about  it,  in  Thad's  mind,  was  that  an  obscure 
little  tumble-bug,  one  of  the  lowliest  of  all  created 
things,  could  have  succeeded  in  showing  Step  Hen 
that  he  had  a  heart;  and  that  even  a  boy  can  find 
chances  to  do  kindly  acts,  if  he  looks  for  them. 

"  Well,"  said  Bumpus,  as  they  huddled  together 
in  a  bunch,  exchanging  views  and  watching  the 
mountains  and  valleys  as  they  were  whirled  past, 
"if  we  could  have  the  say  right  now  where  the 
Silver  Fox  Patrol  would  spend  next  vacation,  where 
d'ye  reckon  it  would  be  ?  '* 

"  Let's  take  a  vote !  "  suggested  Step  Hen. 

"  That's  the  ticket,  Mr.  Secretary,  get  eight  bal- 
lots ready,  and  let's  write  first  choice  and  second, 
majority  rules,"  and  the  patrol  leader  nodded  in  the 
direction  of  his  chum  Allan,  just  as  much  as  to  say 
it  was  easy  to  guess  what  one  vote  would  be. 

"  Count  as  I  call  out.  Bob  White.  Here  goes 
now :  Maine  first  choice.  Rocky  Mountains  second." 

"  Hurrah !  "  cried  Bumpus. 

"Another  for  Maine,  with  the  Saskatchewan 
country  of  Canada  second,"  Thad  went  on ;  "  but 
this  comrade  forgot  that  as  American  Boy  Scouts 


IN  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  251 

we  do  not  want  to  spend  our  money  and  vacations 
in  a  foreign  land/* 

When  the  eight  ballots  had  been  counted,  strange 
to  say  Maine  was  first  choice  with  every  one,  and 
the  Rockies  well  in  the  lead  as  second. 

"  Move  we  make  it  unanimous,"  laughed  Giraffe, 
which  was  duly  done  according  to  statute. 

"  Much  good  that  will  do,  with  a  whole  year  to 
wait,  because  it  wouldn't  pay  to  go  up  into  Maine 
for  only  Christmas  week,"  grumbled  Step  Hen. 

But  strange  to  say  it  was  decreed  in  a  most  re- 
markable w^ay  that  the  wish  expressed  by  the  scouts 
should  be  made  an  actual  fact,  and  just  how  this 
came  about  the  reader  will  find  duly  set  forth  in  the 
third  volume  of  this  series  entitled,  "  The  Boy 
Scouts  on  the  Trail,  or  Scouting  through  the  Big 
Game  Country." 

In  due  time  the  scouts  arrived  at  Cranford  station, 
where  their  coming  had  been  anticipated;  for  the 
story  of  how  the  boys  had  found  the  missing  hus- 
band of  Mrs.  Quail  had  somehow  gotten  around, 
since  Cranford  had  its  gossips.  One  of  these  hap- 
pened to  be  calling  on  the  lady  at  the  time  Bob's 
telegram  arrived.  Of  course  its  nature  was  such 
as  to  give  Mrs.  Quail  a  shock,  though  she  quickly 
recovered;  but  there  had  been  ample  time  for  the 
visitor  to  glance  at  the  message,  between  dabs  at  the 
face  of  the  fainting  lady  with  a  handkerchief  wet 
with  cologne.    And  that  was  how  the  news  got  out 


252  THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

"  Look  at  the  crowd,  would  you  ?  '*  gasped  Bum- 
pus,  as  he  poked  his  head  out  of  the  door,  and  saw 
what  seemed  to  his  excited  imagination  about  the 
whole  of  Cranford  filling  the  home  station,  and 
craning  necks  in  the  endeavor  to  be  the  first  to 
glimpse  the  resurrected  father  of  Bob  Quail. 

"  Hurrah  for  the  Boy  Scouts !  "  some  one  called 
out. 

They  were  given  with  a  rush  and  a  roar  that 
brought  other  passengers  hurrying  to  the  windows 
of  the  cars,  to  see  what  popular  hero  it  could  be  ar- 
riving home,  to  excite  such  a  tremendous  demon- 
stration. 

"  Hurrah  for  Thad  Brewster !  "  called  a  second 
school-boy,  as  the  young  scoutmaster  stepped  off  the 
train,  bearing  certain  bundles,  that  might  be  a  haver- 
sack and  a  take-down  shotgun. 

Another  wave  of  applause  went  sweeping  up  from 
the  crowd. 

"  Three  cheers  for  Bob  Quail,  and  his  dad !  '* 
shrilled  yet  another  enthusiast;  upon  which  the 
echoes  were  fairly  awakened  by  the  racket. 

The  scouts  fell  into  line,  and  two  and  two 
marched  along  the  station  platform;  for  Mr.  Quail 
had  already  taken  his  wife  into  his  arms,  and  they 
had  retired  to  the  interior  of  the  little  building,  in 
order  to  be  less  conspicuous  while  they  talked  it  all 
over. 

Bumpus  sounded  his  bugle,  and  the  boys  kept 


IN  THE  BLUE  EIDGE  253 

step  as  they  walked  along,  with  heads  up,  and  feel- 
ing that  they  had  gained  the  right  to  feel  a  bit  proud, 
after  what  they  had  gone  through.  The  crowd 
pushed  after  them,  still  shouting,  and  making  a 
great  clamor. 

And  from  one  of  the  car  windows  looked  a  bevy 
of  childish  faces,  back  of  which  was  the  wan  one  of 
the  tired  mother;  Step  Hen  disobeyed  the  rules  for 
one  second  only,  when  he  turned,  and  waved  his 
hand  to  his  little  friends  of  the  train.  Seeing  which 
Thad  Brewster  said  softly  to  himself : 

"  I  warrant  you  that  little  woman  believes  all  this 
noise  is  meant  for  just  one  boy,  and  he  the  fellow 
who  was  so  kind  to  her;  because,  in  her  sight  Step 
Hen  is  a  real  hero,  and  this  racket  is  meant  espe^ 
cially  for  his  home-coming.'* 


THB  &Na 


The  Boy  Scouts  Series 

BY  HERBERT  CARTER 


For  Boys   12  to  16  Years 

All  Cloth  Bound     Copyright  Titles 

PRICE,  65   CENTS  EACH 

New  Stories  of  Camp  Life 


THE  BOY  SCOUTS'  FIRST  CAMPFIRE;  or.  Scouting 
with  the  Silver  Fox  Patrol. 

THE    BOY    SCOUTS    IN    THE    BLUE    RIDGE;    or. 
Marooned  Among  the  Moonshiners. 

THE  BOY  SCOUTS  ON   THE    TRAIL;    or.   Scouting 
through  the  Big  Game  Country. 

THE  BOY  SCOUTS   IN  THE   MAINE  WOODS;  or^ 
The  New  Test  for  the  Silver  Fox  Patrol. 

THE  BOY  SCOUTS  THROUGH  THE  BIG  TIMBER; 
or,  The  Search  for  the  Lost  Tenderfoot. 

THE  BOY  SCOUTS  IN  THE  ROCKIES;  or,  The  Secret 
of  the  Hidden  Silver  Mine. 

THE  BOY   SCOUTS   ON   STURGEON  ISLAND;  or. 
Marooned  Among  the  Game-Fish  Poachers. 

THE  BOY  SCOUTS  DOWN  IN  DIXIE;  or.  The  Strange 
Secret  of  Alligator  Swamp. 

THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE  BATTLE  OF  SARATO- 
GA; A  story  of  Burgo5aie*s  Defeat  in  1777. 

THE  BOY  SCOUTS  ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA; 
or.  The  Silver  Fox  Patrol  Caught  in  a  Flood. 

THE  BOY  SCOUTS  ON  WAR  TRAILS  IN  BELGIUM; 
or.  Caught  Between  Hostile  Armies. 

THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AFOOT  IN  FRANCE;  or.  With 
The  Red  Cross  Corps  at  the  Mame. 


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by  the  Publishers 

A.  L.  BURT  COMPANY 

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The 

Golden  Boys 

Series 


BY  L.  P.  WYMAN,  PH.D. 
Dean  of  Pennsylvania  Military  College. 

A  new  series  of  instructive  copyright  stories  for 
boys  of  High  School  Age. 

Handsome  Cloth  Binding. 
PRICE,  65  CENTS  EACH. 


THE  GOLDEN  BOYS  AND  THEIR  NEW 
ELECTRIC  CELL 

THE  GOLDEN  BOYS  AT  THE  FORTRESS 

THE  GOLDEN  BOYS  IN  THE  MAINE 
WOODS 

THE  GOLDEN  BOYS  WITH  THE  LUMBER 
JACKS 

THE  GOLDEN  BOYS  ON  THE  RIVER  DRIVE 

For   sale   by   all  booksellers,    or    sent   postpaid    on   receipt   of    price   by 

the  Publishers. 

A.  L.  BURT  COMPANY 
114-120  E^st  23rd  Street,  New  York 


